God Knows I Tried
by Iloveyou5
Summary: What if Edward left that first day he met Bella? What happens when they unexpectedly face each other again in college? Will he leave again, or will love consume them? Slightly OOC. ExB. Lemons will be promised. EPOV & BPOV.
1. Chapter 1

Today didn't feel like an ordinary day. I had left Carlisle and my family to go to college instead of following them to a new school. I couldn't bear the thought of returning to high school again for some particular reason. The thought bored me to death. I wanted to move on for once, like the rest of my class.

I will probably regret this decision, as it was impulsive. Everything I did seemed to be impulsive. When you've lived for over 100 years, you have to do something to make your life not dull.

There was one speck of light in my life, but I ran away from it.

Bella Swan.

The name hurt me to think about. My throat instantly sizzled at thought of her blood. I had never smelled anything more alluring. The first time I met her, I nearly took her life. So I left.

Alice was angry at me for leaving, and I never knew why. I convinced the rest of my family to stay at school to play their part. Rosalie was happy with that.

I still keep in contact with my family by visiting them often. Alice will call me if danger ever occurs. I missed being around them, but they also made me feel like something was missing in my life.

I couldn't stand their repetitive thoughts thinking _"If only Edward had a mate…"_

It was nearly two years ago when I left. At first, I stayed with the Denali clan, but Tanya drove me crazy-and not in a good way. I then toured the world, taking in all of its beauty. However, no matter how beautiful each site was, loneliness consumed my existence. Every single day Bella Swan came across my mind.

Being a vampire that never has to sleep feels like you can never recharge your mind for the next day. I missed being able to sleep so my slate would be clean in the morning. Now, it is difficult for me to distract myself. I never get to wipe my slate clean. Each detailed thought clings to my mind. Maybe that was why it is so difficult to forget about Bella.

Even without her presence, I _still_ couldn't stop thinking about her. She was always popping up in my mind. Because when I was actually away from her blood, my mind analyzed her actual presence. And her presence made itself known.

My single memory of her replayed like a movie scene in my mind. Vampires are gifted with a great memory. She was just a human, yet I couldn't stop thinking about her milky white skin, her perfectly shaped pink lips, and her chocolate brown eyes filled with wonder…and fear.

I didn't exactly leave the best impression when I last saw her.

Another thing about her that captivated me was that I couldn't read her thoughts. It was so frustrating. Usually if I have a memory of someone, I could also replay his or her thoughts in my mind to understand the situation. I would never know what Bella Swan thought of me.

I never spoke to anyone about my fascination with Bella Swan. They'd laugh at me. The only person who seemed to like her was Alice.

I could never bare the thought of actually being close to Bella. She would be dead in a second.

Animal blood has never tasted the same since that day. That was the annoying part of the situation. My daydreams about her appearance were nothing compared to my bloodlust. It was best to leave.

And now, here I sit in a boring college classroom at the University of Washington.

College is full of young adults who believe they are the smartest creatures alive for actually getting into a decent school. To me, they seemed to behave just as childish as they were in high school.

My gift felt like a curse when I had to listen to all of the horny men that existed on campus. It completely made me feel disgusted to think of degrading women in such ways that their thoughts desired.

And another thing I hated about college- the lectures. Why should I bother listening to what some fickle minded human has to say about a topic when I already knew the answer in my head? Maybe this entire situation seemed like a waste of time. Maybe my existence is a waste of time.

I sighed. What did I get myself into?

I attended college before, some that were much more prestigious, yet I felt drawn to this school in particular. It would be a different experience for me.

I also felt drawn to study literature this time around. I already knew everything about science and medicine.

I got to class early, as usual and sat in chair in the far back. The lecture hall was nothing like the ones in forks. The seats resembled those in movie theaters except there was an added small desk that you could move in front of you if you needed it.

The students began filling in, and the thoughts of young college girls overtook my mind.

" _Oh wow, he's cute"_

 _"I'd show him a good time. Name the place, baby"_

 _"I hope I pass this time…"_

 _"Fuck, is my cleavage not showing_?"

I glared at the girls who thought of me as "attractive". They wouldn't like to know what would occur if they actually got that close to me. I laughed to myself as they avoided sitting next to me.

All the seats filled up in the lecture hall except for the only one to the left of me. Professor Gitner made his way in, about to start. I heard another heartbeat that seemed to stand out from all the rest. A familiar brown-headed beauty nearly tripped her way in afterwards.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

Bella Swan blushed tomato red as the students silently laughed at her arrival. She quickly scanned the room, looking for a place to sit. She was wearing a deep blue, long sleeved shirt that made her milky skin look even more delicate. Her hair was natural and still chestnut brown. Her backpack looked overly large for her as she stumbled her way in.

" _Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!_ " I thought to myself.

Was God trying to punish me? Did he want me to murder this poor girl and possibly all of these witnesses? I suddenly regretted not hunting these past couple of days. But seriously, what the fuck was Bella Swan doing here? Shouldn't she be at the sunny University of Phoenix School that I saw in Alice's mind?

Why did she have to ruin my life? It was the first day of school for Christ's sake!

And now, Bella locked eyes with me as she saw the only seat available. Fear was obviously her reaction. Her heart went into overdrive. I saw her swallow as she turned around behind her at the door.

Was she going to leave? Some part of me felt disappointed.

But then, she took a deep breath and started heading this way. I took a deep breath too because I knew I wouldn't be breathing at all.

Bella apologized to all of the people she had to step over in order to get to the seat next to me. 10 more seconds and she'd be in her seat.

I almost felt human, vulnerable. I'm sure if I were human, sweat would be pooling up on my forehead. Instead, venom was pooling in my mouth. I didn't even need to smell her. It was like my body knew. And I could feel her warmth before she was even close to me. My body vibrated with excitement.

Just as Bella was about to sit down, the last girl she walked past had her foot at the wrong place at the wrong time. Bella being as clumsy as I remembered from high school, tripped over her foot and started falling towards me, about to hit her head on the chair in front of her. I instantly sat up and caught her, a protective instinct taking its role. Or maybe I didn't want my prey injured.

My cold hands gripped her soft, warm waist as she stumbled into my chest. Fuck, she felt so good. Her warmth radiated off of her, calling to me. When my hands made contact with her body, I felt an electric shock going through my body. I could feel her strong pulse, quicker now, just by gripping her. But as all of this happened, I accidentally gulped in a huge breath of air.

My throat once again being burned with such an intense thirst, I thought I was hallucinating. I held back the growl in my throat. She smelled even better than before, much better than my memory. All of this happened in a matter of seconds. My mind started doing the same as before: picking out the fastest way to consume her. I analyzed all of the possibilities, but suddenly Bella made herself known to me again.

"I'm so sorry." She breathed. "Please don't be mad…" I watched her eyes not making contact with me as I still held her, unmoving. My demons were quieted as a foreign feeling knocked me out of my daydream.

I couldn't hurt her.

She suddenly made eye contact with me, the monster, as I still hadn't let go of her. I could feel her heart hammering in her chest. The sound made my throat burn more. But I had to be stronger. I had to save her.

"It's fine." I muttered blankly as I tried to recollect myself. I let go of her and instantly felt colder. She was still breathing heavily as we both quickly sat down.

I felt awful when I realized her words " _Please don't be mad…"_ Ugh I hated myself.

For the rest of class, Bella nervously fidgeted with her hands, never seeming to be comfortable. I couldn't even pay attention to what the professor spoke about. It was completely irrelevant when Bella was sitting next to me.

I felt like every wire in me vibrated, wanting me to be closer to her.

I caught her looking at me a few times out of the corner of my eye. I tried not glaring at her, but it was no use. She just smelled too good.

I saw her about to speak a few times, but remained silent just like her mind.

It killed me not knowing what she was thinking.

My main priority would be to get out of this classroom as quickly as possible so I could leave once again. Hopefully it would be for good this time.

I felt trapped because I was all the way at the end of the row of seats. The wall was to the right of me, forcing me to wait for everyone to leave first. Kill me.

* * *

So I'm new to this whole writing thing so please don't hate my story. No one really talks about Twilight anymore where I'm from. I guess I was supposed to grow out of it. I'm not sure if anyone still reads Twilight fan fiction, but I am still fascinated by it. I'm actually in college at the moment, so I thought this would be fun to write. Hope you enjoy.


	2. Chapter 2

Bella's POV

I couldn't believe today was my first day of college. Everything seemed to be falling into place for me. My mother wasn't too happy of my decision to attend the University of Washington, but I couldn't help but feel more drawn to it.

It was a really beautiful school. I fell in love with the cherry blossom trees on campus. It seemed like a great place to spend my next four years.

After all, Seattle is closer to Forks than Phoenix. I could still return home to see my friends if I needed to.

Charlie and Renee even surprised me with an apartment for my graduation present so I wouldn't have to stay in the dorms. It was pretty close to campus.

My high school experience wasn't anything special. People seemed to like me at Forks a lot more than at Phoenix. I didn't understand why. Well, everyone seemed to like me except Edward Cullen.

I winced at his name. His piercing black eyes haunted me for weeks after our weird encounter. He was so angry that he had to sit by me that he completely changed schools. I never got my explanation for it.

There was something else about him that made me so curious. I still had dreams of him at night. Some were terrifying, others were… erotic.

It was impossible to not to find him attractive even with his malicious glare replaying in my head.

His siblings remained at Forks, but they were always a constant reminder of him.

Alice Cullen even tried inviting me to hang out with her a few times, but the rest of the siblings looked too terrifying to be around. I politely declined due to their evil glances at me.

I knew they were something different, and I needed answers. When Edward never returned, it tortured me for weeks. I never got to tell him how rude he was. I never got to stare into his beautiful eyes ever again…

One day when I was hanging out with Jessica, Mike, Angela, and a few other friends, I was reunited with my friend, Jacob Black.

Somehow the Cullens were brought up, and he seemed to know a lot about them. I didn't get a lot of information out of him, but he did inform me that they were evil. He warned me to stay away from them. His expression was serious and it terrified me.

Months later, I started settling into my new life. Jacob and Angela became my best friends. We did everything together. It was really hard to say goodbye.

A year after I moved to town, we had another new student-Bryce.

He became the new center of attention for all of the girls. Bryce had tan skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Mike despised him. Some would say he was better looking than Edward. I scoffed at that thought. Bryce was very attractive, but comparing him to Edward was like comparing him to a Greek god.

At first, I wasn't too fond of Bryce. He went out of his way to be my friend. He asked me to be his girlfriend several times, but I kept denying him. Jessica and Lauren absolutely hated me for it. They thought I ruined their chances with him.

I hung out with Bryce along with Jacob and Angela a few times. They approved of him, so I decided to finally give into his antics this past summer.

All of my friends had boyfriends except for me, so I felt like it was normal to have one as well.

We got along well, and I liked him a lot. I thought our relationship would end when we went to college, but he ended up getting accepted to the University of Washington as well. So I decided to actually take our relationship seriously.

I never had a boyfriend before him so I took things a little too slowly than the average person. It made me feel uncomfortable at the thought of being intimate. Everyone else did it like it was natural. Maybe something was wrong with me.

We kissed a few times, but I never let it go any farther than that.

Bryce was jealous that I had an apartment, since he had to stay in a dorm. I think he wanted to move in with me, but I was _not_ ready for that. I barely knew him really. I hoped to get to know him better this year. It excited me.

I pulled into the parking lot and gulped. This school was huge. As I stepped out of my red Chevy truck, I smiled. It was a nice day, probably in the low 70's. Clouds filled the sky, like always, but it was a great atmosphere.

I studied my schedule the previous night along with the map of the school. I didn't want to be noticed as the typical freshman with a map glued to my face.

I thought I knew where I was going after I passed the infamous cherry blossom trees, but I ended up getting lead to a different building.

My first class was an introductory course to English literature. It was going to be pretty easy for me. I eventually had to pull out a map because I was lost.

I groaned when I realized I was all of the way on the other side of campus. So much for getting to class early.

I whisked past all of the other students, wondering what all of their lives were like. It was pretty cool to think about.

I eventually made my way to the right building. I flew into the classroom, nearly face planting as I tripped over my own feet, not expecting the class to be so large. The cinema-like style surprised me as well. Maybe I had gotten _too_ used to Forks.

I blushed when I noticed all of people starring at me as I searched for a seat. It was all the way in back by the corner. My eyes suddenly locked with someone's that I never thought I'd see again.

Edward Cullen.

My heart sped frantically, and I felt as though I was going to throw up. I actually considered turning around and never coming back. Why was the only seat available next to him? He loathes me. It couldn't be a coincidence for this event. Surely this entire thing was a giant prank. Yes, that would make sense. Edward Cullen was here to make me feel afraid again because someone was puling a prank on me. Probably Jacob.

I shook my head at my silly, paranoid thoughts and took a deep breath. Edward Cullen was here not because of a prank; it was just fate's sick way of torturing me. Time to not be the cowardly lion.

I stumbled my way over to the seat and I never felt his eyes leave my presence. I apologized to the people I had to step over. Maybe I wouldn't have to step over everyone if they had just sat next to Edward so I could sit at the end seat where I'd be safe.

Just when I thought I could make it to my seat without dying, I tripped over someone's shoe. I couldn't stop myself from falling on the chair before me, embarrassing myself right in front of Edward. I closed my eyes on instinct because I knew it was going to hurt.

Cold hands gripped me tightly around my waist, shocking me. I still managed to stumble into the stranger's chest. I knew who it was though immediately. When he touched me, an exhilarating feeling ran through my body. I couldn't describe the intense emotions I was feeling.

He had a very unique scent. It didn't smell like regular cologne. It smelled manly, yet it was mixed with honey and sunshine. I almost fainted right then and there. That is, until I saw his expression. His eyes were once again coal black. I felt like a mouse being hypnotized by a snake, unable to move. His hatred for me was still present, and I had almost fell right in front of him. I guess I annoyed him. Why was high school repeating itself all over again? I wanted to cry.  
Eventually I was able to break eye contact with him so I could speak.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered, "Please don't be mad…"

He locked eyes with me again, and he hesitated. It felt like years until he replied.

"It's fine." He said nonchalantly, as if his murderous glare was _nothing._

We eventually departed and my body felt lonely without him holding me.

Was I losing my mind? I tried to not move throughout the rest of class, but it was impossible. My body was shaking slightly from what just occurred. I couldn't settle my nerves. I don't think I paid attention to a single word the Professor said.

When class ended, I got up and tried to leave as soon as possible, but Edward ran out of the classroom faster than me. That asshole.

Bryce met me before my next class. I told him I had class soon, but lied because I really wanted to go back to my truck to calm down a little. He greeted me by kissing me on the cheek and I blushed.

"Hey babe! How was your first class?" he asked, smiling.

I shrugged, deciding to not tell him about the Edward Cullen incident.

"It was ok…" I replied. I didn't feel like talking right now.

My expression confused him as he grabbed my hand. I didn't realize that both of my arms were wrapped around my torso.

"What's wrong?" he asked me. His handsome face twisted to worry.

"It's nothing, Bryce. My first class was just really overwhelming. The syllabus stressed me out…" I lied.

He looked annoyed since that was always my usual excuse for everything.

"I'm going to be late…" I explained to him, trying to get away.

"Whatever, Babe." He said, tearing his hand from mine and walked away frustrated.

He always got mad when I said, "school is stressing me out". It was the reason I couldn't ever hang out late. It was the reason I didn't want to go any further. It was a really crappy excuse because I was a terrible person. I'm actually surprised the excuse even worked over the summer.

I wasn't very good at being a girlfriend.

After I made sure the coast was clear, I walked back to my truck. When I got in, I felt all my emotions pouring down on me as _his_ stare penetrated my mind. I ran my hands through my hair as my body started shaking again. Then the tears came.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/ viewed! I was so surprised to see that this morning! I tried to quickly write the next chapter. Also, each chapter is not going to always go into detail with each of their POV. I just felt like it was necessary for this part of the story. I have a lot of chapters already written, but I always skip around. By the way, I don't know a single thing about the University of Washington or English Majors. I attend college in Indiana and my major is nutrition science. So forgive me if I don't make sense. I will try to write the next chapter soon, but I have lots of exams this week. Thank you all again!


	3. Chapter 3

Class eventually ended and I managed not to hurt her. After everyone else left his or her seats, including Bella, I dove out of the classroom.

I took in large gulps of fresh air, trying to clear my mind of her scent. It faded slightly, but I could still taste her scent on the back of my tongue. She smelled like freesias and lavender mixed in with something else, I couldn't quite pinpoint. Her scent wasn't something I could ever forget.

My next class wouldn't be until thirty minutes, so I went to my car. I still had the same silver Volvo from two years ago. Rosalie added a few upgrades on it though.

The first thing I did was call Alice. Why didn't she warn me? She HAD to have seen this coming. It was her job to warn me if something came up. This was a pretty big deal!

Perhaps Alice didn't want me to know; she was known for her mysterious ways. Anger boiled inside me.

She answered on the first ring. I assumed she already predicted me calling.

"Edward, please calm down." She said blankly to me.

"Are you insane, Alice? I nearly killed her! Again!" I fumed.

She scoffed and I could imagine her rolling her eyes. "Please, Edward. You weren't going to hurt her."

I wasn't going to hurt her? HA! "You have lost your mind. It's one thing for me to murder all of the people in that Forks classroom, but could you imagine the attention that would be caused from a massacre at an University!" I yelled shaking my head at the thought. It'd make global news. The Volturi would be after me in seconds.

"Edward, listen to me! I didn't tell you because I didn't see a single outcome of you killing her. If I did tell you, you would have chosen a different university and then that would have ruined my other vis-." She stopped talking as if she said too much. What did she mean "other vision"?

"Alice what are you talking about?"

"It was nothing. Don't worry about it." She lied smoothly. Bella's life was not "nothing".

"Alice, you better tell me right now what is going on or I will run to Alaska and get the answer out of your head myself." I growled, outraged.

"Edward, please stop overreacting. There is no danger. Everything will be fine. Just stay at school." She tried persuading me.

"I need to know what your vision was. I can't stay here with her, Alice. I will kill her." I tried convincing her.

"You won't kill her. I know that for a fact" She hesitated "It's better if you didn't know. Just trust me." She explained and the line went blank. It infuriated me when Alice kept things from me.

I was so angry, I wanted to crush my phone into dust. Alice needed to stop being childish.

I knew I had to leave this University now. I couldn't stay here with _her._ Maybe I shouldn't even go to my next class. What if she has the same class again with me? It would possibly be impossible with the thousands of students attending this school, but then again, it was kind of impossible for Bella to be in the first class as me.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. I didn't know what to do. It was times like these when I needed Carlisle.

Leaving seemed like the best decision to make. I left before; I could do it again. It hurt me to think about all the thoughts I'd have about her when I left. They would torture me senseless. The lonely feeling in my chest would ache tremendously. It ached now as I thought about it.

Alice seemed pretty confident that I wouldn't hurt Bella, but I knew better. The monster inside me felt victorious at the thought of staying. Her blood was the sweetest nectar this world could offer. It didn't matter how much I liked her, the monster would eventually win if I stayed.

I wasn't worthy of her anyways. I was a soulless monster, undeserving of her time. She had a life of her own. She probably had plenty of friends and family who loved her. I would ruin her entire life if I tried interfering. Her life was normal, yet perfect. She would eventually marry someone; maybe even have children with them. That was how it was supposed to be. Yet I couldn't stop my heart aching at the thought of it.

The others in my family would be in hysterics if they knew about my obsession with this human. Rosalie would be infuriated. She had suggested for me to kill Bella when I first met her at Forks. I couldn't even imagine her reaction now.

Bella probably hated me anyways by now. Maybe she was convinced that I was insane. It was ridiculous to think that she was interested in me in any way.

Just as I was about to decide to back out of my parking space and leave, I saw the most vile scene before me.

It was a few hundred feet away from me, but my eyes wouldn't have missed it.

Bella Swan was holding hands with another boy as they were leaning against a stone building. She looked upset, as her other arm was crossed over her body, like she was about to fall apart.

Now that I got a good look at Bella, I noticed how much she matured since the last time I saw her. Her face seemed to have slimmed out, giving her a nice contour. Her body was curvier, which made her seem more like a women than before. She still didn't wear makeup, but she didn't need to. The makeup industry makes billions of dollars selling products that wouldn't even compare to Bella's skin.

The other boy, who had blonde hair and blue eyes, seemed to be frustrated that she wouldn't tell him something.

 _"Why is she being this way? She's in college now. You'd think she would have gotten over her stubbornness."_ He suddenly glanced down at her chest " _Damn, I wish she would open up to me with that part of herself too."_

I growled at the boy's thoughts. How dare he think of Bella in that way! I wanted to tear him to shreds. Who did he think he was?!

I listened in on their conversation more. "It's nothing, Bryce. My first class was just really overwhelming. The syllabus stressed me out…" she trailed off. I knew she was lying because I never once saw her looking over the syllabus.

" _She's stressed out? Of course. Schoolwork is always the reason she doesn't want to do anything. Even over the summer."_

"I'm going to be late…" she told him suddenly.

"Whatever, Babe." He said, tearing his hand from hers and walked away, frustrated. Bella looked broken, and I could see the tears forming in her eyes. I couldn't believe the way he treated her, as if _he_ was more important.

It made me even more upset knowing Bella had a boyfriend. I felt very strange at the thought. It made me want to punch something.

Suddenly my vision of her future was coming true, and I dug my fingers into the seat of my Volvo, destroying it.

Damn, now I needed to get that fixed.

Why am I thinking this way? I just wanted to murder her 30 minutes ago. Why did I suddenly want to protect her again? Why did I feel the need to stay?

I tried convincing myself that Bella just seemed fragile, needing a protector. That was the reason I wanted to be near her at all times.

I had to make sure Bryce didn't hurt her. I scanned over his thoughts again, and he was checking out all of the girls who dressed provocatively.

" _Damn, I wish Bella was blonde_." he thought to himself. I snarled at his thoughts. Blondes were so overrated in today's society. I wasn't very fond of them even before my change. Bella didn't need to bleach her hair to look perfect; she already was.

I scanned Bryce's thoughts to get some background information on him. Another growl erupted from my throat when I found out the reason Bryce was interested in Bella. Apparently he had moved to Forks after I left, and he was the talk of the town. Since Bella was also the new girl, he picked her as the most prized girl. His thoughts raced over the times they hung out over the summer. They were mostly disappointed due to the fact that Bella seemed uninterested in intimate interaction. She always had excuses for everything. I didn't blame her.

Bryce was hopeful that Bella would change her ways soon and engage _sexually_ with him. My jaw was clenched, teeth grinding.

Bryce deserved to die for his behavior towards Bella. My eyes shifted back to her, and she was suddenly closer to my car, as she walked towards her classroom. She had to walk through the parking lot in order to get there, I assumed.

She surprised me though when she stopped at a rusty, old Chevy truck, her previous car from Forks. My throat burned at her near presence.

She struggled opening the bulky door, but she eventually got in. She looked around to make sure no one was looking, and then I saw her run her hands through her hair. A weird feeling ran through me. I started imaging myself combing my fingers through her soft hair, comforting her.

Then I noticed her body began to shake as she started crying. Tears streamed down her face as she buried her face in her hands.

My dead heart felt like it was just torn to pieces. Was she _this_ upset because of my hostility towards her? I needed to apologize. I needed to comfort her. I unconsciously almost opened the door.

 _Pull yourself together, Edward_!

* * *

I'm sorry for the chapter being so short. I'm super busy! Hopefully I will have a lot of time next week to write longer chapters. Please let me know what you think. I have several ideas for this story. It's slow right now, but I promise it will be better. I'm probably going to write most of this story in Edward's POV. I enjoy writing it more that way. Also don't worry about Bella's boyfriend. He won't be a big part of this story. Thank you to those who have been kind and patient with me. I know I do not write that well, I'm learning. I thought fanfiction was a place of only kindness, but I was wrong. People can be very rude with their comments. I am going to continue writing anyways.


	4. Chapter 4

Edward's POV

Bella crying had me feeling beyond guilty. It _was_ my fault after all. I'm the reason she buried her face in her hands. I'm the reason she couldn't stop sniffling for ten minutes after she cried. Why do I have to be who I am? Why can't I be human so I didn't have to worry about killing her?

I always wished I could transform back to my human self. I'd give anything to be able to move forward with my life. I will always be frozen in time, never having a purpose.

Bella has a purpose, making us complete opposites.

I watched as Bella eventually trudged her way back to her classes. I followed in suit to her, but we ended up not seeing each other for the rest of the day.

After constantly scanning Bryce's mind for thoughts of Bella, I felt relieved that she didn't see him either after he was upset with her earlier. He wasn't a good person to be around.

I didn't search for Bella after I was all done with my classes. I decided to just go straight home. I was too overcome with guilt to face her and apologize. I needed time and answers.

The thought of calling Carlisle crossed my mind, but I resisted making any rash decisions. The others would soon surely hear about my obsession with Bella. Alice may have already told everyone. I was alone in this situation.

I sighed, feeling desolate once again.

Carlisle loaned me our family home in Seattle to reside in for the time being. It resembled the house we have in Forks, but Esme designed it with slightly different color patterns, making everything black and white. Half of the house had walls made of glass on the outside too. I even had my own ivory grand piano to feel at home. The home felt empty without the usual flow of thoughts coming from my siblings, another reminder of how lonely I was.

The house was about twenty minutes away from campus, nestled in the woods for privacy. My room had its own balcony on the third floor overlooking a pond. The view straight ahead displayed an appealing mountainous landscape. It was pure serenity.

A few miles away from the house, I was able to hunt in the forest without worrying about humans intruding. Usually people followed trails, and there were no trails where I hunted.

Thinking of Bella unfortunately made my throat remind me of the terrible monster I was. It seemed like a good idea to hunt in order to get her scent out of my mind. Who was I kidding though? That would be impossible.

The animals' blood was no match for my incredible appetite. As I hunted, I secretly wanted to pretend that the animals were Bella, but something inside me felt disgusted by this. So much, I wanted to throw myself off a cliff for even thinking of it.

Often, I felt like I was two people when it came to being a vampire. There's me, my human self, and the demon that craves blood. I couldn't complain about immortality, but I knew I had no soul. How could I have one when I was meant to not move on into the afterlife?

I couldn't stop thinking about her once again. Thinking about her soft, warm skin sent ripples of electricity throughout me. Pure bliss. I wasn't even aware of a touch so heavenly before I met her. Thoughts of me touching her more intruded my mind, making me forget how dangerous I was. It would be easy for me to accidentally crush her bones if I touched her too swiftly without paying attention. Her touch was another thing I didn't deserve.

I sighed as I finished drinking the blood of an elk. They were in season and the quickest thing to grab. I threw the carcass off to the side and sat on the forest floor.

I couldn't decide what my feelings of Bella were meant to be. Did I simply just want to be her friend? Was it possible that I didn't just crave her delicious blood, but something more? That I didn't know. Her appearance was rather attractive. And I was still baffled why I couldn't see into her mind.

What is the matter with me? I've only met Bella twice, yet I'm fixated on her like a madman. I bet she thought of me as a psycho with no interest in engaging interaction between us.

Maybe I needed to leave. That was probably the best option- to stay as far away from Bella as possible. That lonely feeling pierced my frozen heart once more, reminding me of its existence.

I looked at the nature around me to give me some answers. Sometimes, not too often, I turn to God for help. I know he doesn't value me like humans, but there was still a little hope inside of me.

"God, please give me some answers!" I called out in the quiet forest.

I looked around and didn't notice anything particularly different. I listened to the thoughts around me. I could hear animal thoughts, but they were quiet and not exactly translatable. They mostly focused on food and survival. Quite frankly, I was hoping for a little more excitement.

I looked further and noticed a white bunny hopping happily on the wet ground. It started to nibble on grass. Then from a distance, I noticed a red fox watching the rabbit intently. However, it did what I didn't expect. The rabbit froze when it sensed the fox and quit chewing. The fox walked slowly to the rabbit and just watched it. No gruesome nature fiasco occurred. Instead, the fox started licking the rabbit to clean its fur, I suppose. They sat there together, in harmony. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

That was my sign. I looked up to the sky and bowed my head.

"Thank you." I whispered to whoever was watching over me.

* * *

Bella's POV

My first day of college made me feel exhausted. I only had three classes, because the other two were tomorrow, but it was sort of overwhelming. I had to walk long distances between classes with plenty of stairs, and I couldn't help but stumble around like I was physically impaired half the time.

My classes appeared easy because they were just my general education courses I needed to take, but the professors looked intimidating.

Socializing here made me feel like I was back at my school in Phoenix. I was a nobody once again. Although it was a little relieving, I was sure I'd missed the easy social interaction like the kind I had in Forks.

I sighed at the thought of my friends. I missed them already so much. Angela was accepted into an Ivy League school across the country. I was so proud of her. Jacob was still in high school back at his Quileute reservation. At least I had Bryce here with me. He was a piece of my home that I got to bring with. I wasn't sure why it made my stomach feel unsettled though.

I couldn't help it when my mind slipped me images of Edward Cullen's deadly stare. It just wasn't fair! What did I do to him that made him feel this hatred for me? I was so sure I never met him before Forks.

One possibility that I guessed before was that he had a personality disorder. Maybe he couldn't handle high school so they put him in an alternative school at the time.

However, after every assumption I made, none of the pieces seemed to add up. Jessica had informed me that Edward never looked hostile towards anyone, but he did always present himself with a look of boredom.

It also didn't make sense for someone as beautiful as Edward to hold a stare that deadly. I got a better look at his face today than I did two years ago. He had very intense cheekbones. His lips were a very alluring reddish-pink color, which was strange in contrast to his skin. His bronze hair was just a messy as before, yet perfect. When I first saw Edward, I didn't noticed how muscular he was. Probably because I only studied his physical body when he was sitting next to Emmett Cullen. Emmett made everyone look weak.

When I stumbled into Edward today, I noticed how hard his chest was. He was also much taller than I expected too. He practically towered over me. When I thought about his body, I couldn't help but feel stirred up to it. Bryce had a nice body, but it was nothing compared to Edward's.

Why was I suddenly comparing Bryce to Edward? I'm a terrible girlfriend.

I shook my head as I started making dinner for myself in my apartment. Bryce had called me earlier to say sorry for his behavior. I accepted his apology because I was the one who was acting strange. We talked about our classes, and he informed me that he became friends with a few new people already. They started making plans for a party in two weeks. I rolled my eyes. Bryce loved socializing at parties. I on the other hand avoided them like the plague.

After I was done eating, I decided to decorate my new home a little more. It wasn't very large or luxurious, but it fit me well I suppose. I had a full kitchen, a bathroom, a small bedroom, and a living room joined with the kitchen. The walls were white and most of my furniture didn't really coordinate. I bought mostly second-hand items instead of furniture sets to save money. I tried making my bedroom like the one I had in Forks by stringing decorative Christmas lights on the wall near the ceiling. I had even gotten my own bookshelf for all of my classics.

Suddenly, my phone rang, making me jump. I read the caller ID and my face lit up.

"Hey Jake, what's up!" I said excitedly. Jacob really was an important person in my life. He was the brother I never had.

"Hey Bells! How are ya likin' college?" he asked me.

"It's a lot to get used to, but it hasn't been a total disaster." I told him, suddenly thinking of Edward, and I began feeling uneasy. Maybe I should tell Jacob…

"Did you manage to get through the day without falling and destroying everything in your path?" he joked, but I knew he was being serious.

"Hey now! I'll have you know I only fell eight times today." I said with pride, but that didn't stop him from chuckling loudly. I missed his laugh.

"I missed you, Bells. And Angela. It's not the same without you guys." He confessed to me, making me feeling emotional.

"I miss you too, Jake. Lucky Angela doesn't start classes until next week." I responded.

Jacob and I continued talking for about an hour. He mentioned how there's this one girl in his class that he couldn't take his eyes off of. I told him he couldn't date her until she got my approval.

After a while of debating, I finally decided to tell him about Edward.

"Hey Jake, can I ask you something?" I asked, feeling nervous.

"Yeah sure, Bella. What's up?"

I hesitated because I felt like I was going to cry. "So you know how before you told me to stay away from the Cullens when I told you the story about how rude Edward Cullen was to me my first day?"

He paused and then replied, "Yes…what about them?"

"Well, I thought it was crazy before when Edward disappeared after my arrival, but you won't believe it, Jake. I almost died today when he was in my first class. I didn't know what to do. And he _still_ had that mean look when he looked at me. It felt like my first day of high school all over again." I confessed to him, trying to hide the shakiness in my voice.

Jacob must have been angry because he took a while to reply. "Bella, I'm going to tell you the same thing I said before about them. Stay away. Change your class. Do anything to get away from him. I can't believe the creep followed you to college." He said in disgust.

Followed? Why would he follow me here?

"Jacob, I don't think he even knew I was going to go here. His face looked so mad when he saw me. It was _deadly._ " I informed him.

"Either way, promise me you'll stay away?" he asked of me.

I wasn't sure I could promise that. I wanted to figure out why he didn't like me. Who knows though, he could have switched schools by now again. I wanted to kick myself for not having the courage to ask him right then and there.

"I can't promise that until you tell me what they are." I told Jacob.

"That's not my secret to tell." He replied quickly. I sensed he was getting nervous by my questions.

"Why not? Who am I going to tell?" I asked. "I am going to find out myself why he despises me. It kills me not knowing."

Jacob's tone started to sound angry. "Bella, you are insane for wanting to talk to him. He's not safe to be around."

"How could I know you're not lying if you can't even give me a good reason?" I questioned him. It seemed ridiculous for him to hide this secret. I thought we were closer than that.

"Sometimes I hate your stubbornness." He replied to me, avoiding the question.

"Love you too, Jacob." I said, and then hung up the phone.

Why was Edward making me making me throw tantrums with everyone around me? I was practically pulling my hair out thinking about him. Maybe I needed sleep.

An hour later, Charlie called to ask me about my day. After I took my shower and sat in bed, I couldn't help but feel homesick.

After what seemed like hours of trying to sleep, I finally was able to float into a state of unconscious.

My dream started out the same as before. I was in the forest, alone. It was very dark despite the moon being full. I was running around in circles trying to find my way out. I tripped and stumbled a few times as I made my way deeper into the forest. Suddenly, I saw a dark figure approaching me. As he got closer, the moonlight focused only on him. His skin displayed this iridescent glow that shocked me. His eyes were coal black and dangerous. I recognized him as Edward Cullen right away. I could never forget his glare.

I tried running away from him, but my legs suddenly weren't moving right. I fell down and my eyes locked with his once again. He smiled lightly, and then lunged at me.

I woke up covered in sweat. I looked around the room, making sure no one was there even though I knew that was impossible. This dream was more intense than the others. I noticed the clock only read 4 a.m., and I groaned pulling the covers over my face.

Who the hell was Edward Cullen, and why he is all I can think about?

* * *

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I hope you guys like this story! Weird question, but is anyone else still in love with Robert Pattinson? I'm trying to find a good movie with him in it to watch. I've already seen Remember Me. I hope you all have a great day. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Edward's POV

After my hunt, I felt slightly confident about my decision. I knew it was wrong, but temptation won.

But what if I was wrong in the end? What if the fox ended up eating the rabbit right after I left? Maybe I shouldn't have decided anything.

Tuesday rolled by and bored me to death. I didn't have any classes with Bella that day. I managed to see her trip on the sidewalk as she walked into class through someone's thoughts. No one stopped to help her. I was angry that I wasn't there to catch her fall.

I played the piano all afternoon. I loved playing because it helped me release emotions building up inside me. Perhaps I also considered it a distraction. I started composing a new song, but I couldn't get it right yet.

It was finally Wednesday. My first class was with Bella. I took precautions by hunting again yesterday night as well.

I didn't really know what the outcome of the class would be. Bella could sit by someone else or she could ignore me if I spoke to her. There are so many unknowing possibilities since I couldn't read her thoughts. It sort of thrilled me.

My goal was to convince Bella that I didn't hate her. I wanted to start over, and maybe try getting used to her scent.

As I walked to my class early as usual, I heard someone's single heartbeat in the room. I couldn't hear the person's thoughts so I already knew who it was.

When I entered, I noticed Bella was sitting in the corner seat this time where I had sat before. She had her face buried in some novel. Her shirt was a white and long-sleeved. It clung to her skin appropriately. She had dark circles under her eyes, almost as if she didn't get enough sleep.

She looked up from her book and her eyes widened as she made eye contact with me. I didn't look away as she quietly gasped. Her cheeks turned bright red and the demon inside me smiled. She quickly looked back down at her book, trying to pretend I wasn't there.

I walked down the aisle smoothly and eventually made my way to the seat next to her. I didn't breath once.

It was impossible to not pay attention to the heat coming from her body; it completely drew me in. I sat down beside her and glanced at the book she was reading. It was _Emma_ by Jane Austen. I wasn't used to seeing humans at her age reading such books.

I noticed her heart was pounding in her chest. She must have been afraid of me. Humans usually sit far away from people if the classroom is empty, so maybe I was just making her uncomfortable.

I didn't know how to interact with her. I decided to just start with casual conversation.

"So you're a fan of romance novels?" I asked her, trying to meet her eyes.

Her heartbeat increased, but her eyes never left the book as she simply nodded her head. I waited for a worded response, but got nothing.

"I'm a fan of Jane Austen myself." I told her, trying to get her to talk. She continued to ignore me. I noticed her eyes rereading the same page, perhaps not even actually reading it at all. This frustrated me. I wasn't used to this sort of thing. I grew impatient.

"If you really can't talk to me, I'll gladly spoil the ending for you." I warned her, with a smile on my face.

She furrowed her brow, but continued staring down at the book.

"I already know the ending. This is my fourth time reading it." She replied blankly. Her voice sounded a bit shaky.

Why would she re-read the same book? Shouldn't she move on to a new one?

"Hmm…well do you know the ending to every novel by Jane Austen? Because I could go through the list of endings for all of those books as well." I mused, still half-smiling.

She turned to look at me, annoyed. I stared into her deep, chocolate eyes and felt intensifying emotions. Her heart rate increased again when I didn't break eye contact. She pursed her lips together, seeming to be confused. I couldn't help noticing her lips. They seemed to excite me in strange ways.

Her eyes narrowed as she finally spoke, "So what? Did you finally see a doctor about your anger problem? Because the last time I checked, you hated me for no reason."

Her response shocked me. I wasn't expecting the confidence in her voice. She _did_ think I was lunatic.

Hearing her voice fully reminded me just how lovely it was.

She waited for my response as I tried to play it cool.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, playing dumb.

She turned her head to the side as if I was insane. Her eyebrows came together in disbelief.

"I went to Forks High School with you…well, for a day. Then you abruptly left. Don't pretend like you don't remember." She snapped, "And don't act like you didn't glare at me at me that day either."

I really didn't know what to say. It was strange of her to call me out. Most humans are too afraid to even say anything.

"Yes, I remember you from Forks." I admitted, trying to sound polite. "I am sorry about that. It seems that we have met under terrible circumstances. I was going through some family issues at the time."

Humans usually understood when it came to family problems. Hopefully she wouldn't question it.

Her expression shifted from disbelief to confusion. I needed to breath again if I wanted to continue talking to her, but I had to keep my emotions under wraps so she couldn't see the pain on my face.

I breathed in through my nostrils and felt the agony of her scent infiltrating my throat. I wanted to drink her right then and there. I tried composing myself to seem normal again. She suddenly spoke, reminding me of her presence.

"Is that why you changed schools?" she asked innocently.

The fire still burned in my throat as I reminded myself continually that she wasn't food.

I didn't know how to respond again. I could perhaps make it seem like something I didn't feel comfortable talking about.

"Um.." I pretended to stutter, "well yes. It was a personal issue and I thought it was the best decision for me to make." I hoped to god she didn't remember me trying to change my schedule that first day right in front of her. That would ruin my lie.

"Well what about Monday?" she questioned, trying to make me crack.

"Another personal issue." I lied. "I shouldn't have let it get to me. I have a difficult time hiding my emotions." I told her, acting like I was human.

She bit her lip and looked away from me.

"So what your saying is that I'm a paranoid maniac who _imagined_ all of this hostility coming from you?" she asked in disbelief, seeming to see through my lie.

I quickly answered, trying to be smooth.

"What you're saying is correct. Don't worry, I'm sure anyone would have thought the same thing." I assured her.

Bella shook her head as if she was debating what to say. I'm sure she was very confused at this point. I knew she didn't fully believe me.

I remembered that I never actually told her my name. Jessica had already filled her in previously, but a proper introduction was to be made.

"Can we start over? I didn't get a chance to ever properly introduce myself before. I'm Edward Cullen." I smiled at her.

She blushed again, making me thirsty. The blood pooling in her cheeks looked lovely.

It took a while for her to react as she collected her thoughts.

"I'm Bella Swan." She replied, holding out her hand for me to shake.

Fear rose in me when I realized she would feel how cold my skin was. I didn't know what her reaction would be.

I reached out and lightly gripped her delicate hand, shaking it. I felt that same electric shock as before as my cold hand came in contact with her warm one. She seemed to feel something strange too because I noticed her body slightly jump when she touched me. She probably found my touch repulsive.

Touching her was foremost the most exhilarating feeling I had ever come across. I didn't want to let go.

We parted too soon and she ran her fingers through hair, seeming uncomfortable.

"Well Bella Swan, it is _very_ nice to finally meet you." I said, making sure to stare into her eyes.

She seemed a bit dazed when I said this. Did I accidentally blow my breath in her face? Vampires usually do this attract their prey. The smell of our breath is meant to be alluring.

I didn't even notice that other students were beginning to come into the room. I didn't think Bella did either.

After the Professor came in, I acted as though he had my full attention. He already started discussing a paper we had to write for next week. I grew bored by his lecture as I started analyzing everything Bella had said a few minutes ago.

Bella kept glancing my way every now and then. It made my dead heart feel warm.

Every few minutes, I took in gulps of her scent to try getting used to it. The pain never dulled, but at least I could keep my expression normal now.

After class ended, I waited for Bella to gather her things so I could say goodbye to her before she went off to her next classes. My mind picked up thoughts of Bryce waiting outside though. I decided to not let him get in the way.

I walked by her side as we exited the lecture hall.

Bryce smiled when he saw Bella.

" _Fuck yeah, she's wearing my favorite pants that make her ass look good."_ Bryce thought. I tried resisting the growl in my throat.

I turned to her right before Bryce got to her. Her eyes kept glancing between him and me.

" _Who in the hell is that?_ Bryce thought to himself. I could tell I angered him being near Bella.

"It was a pleasure meeting you today, Bella. I'll see you Friday." I waved her farewell. I watched her stare after me through Bryce's thoughts.

He started questioning her of who I was. She seemed to be zoned out because it took her a while to answer all of his questions. This made him angrier. I couldn't help smiling as I walked to my next class.

There has got to be a way for me to get rid of that douchebag.

* * *

Please review and let me now what you think! I finally got through this stressful week! College sucks, haha. Just to let you all know, I probably won't go into very much detail about Bella and Edward's classes. I want to focus on their relationship. I can't wait to write the interesting chapters. I've already written ahead for some of them. This beginning stuff bored me. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed!


	6. Chapter 6

Bella's POV

Edward Cullen was driving me insane. I shouldn't have been this worked up about the situation, but it truly bothered me.

He attempted to persuade me that the reason for his coldness before was a family issue. I wasn't born yesterday!

He could have won an Oscar award for his acting performance, but I knew he wasn't telling the truth. Nothing added up with his story. It made no absolute sense.

Why would he change schools because of a family issue? That's a little dramatic. I also didn't notice him acting hostile to anyone else, including his family, besides me that day.

It was not a coincidence for him to react the same way the second time I saw him. He was hiding something.

I also had remembered him trying to switch out of our biology class the first day. I didn't bring that up that because I didn't want to seem like some sort of stalker who was obsessed with his every action.

I was surprised that he read Jane Austen though. Normally guys don't like her work. He made it seem like he read every book by her.

I wanted to slap him when he threatened to ruin the end of the book for me. I knew he was joking, but who did he think he was? You don't just try making casual conversation with someone that you nearly traumatized. He had to be bi-polar or something.

It also angered me that I was attracted to him. No matter how much I wanted to hate him, I couldn't help but feel dazzled by his presence. Several times throughout our conversation, I wanted to seem more confident; however, he kept blowing his breath in my face and it smelled delicious. Usually men's' breath wasn't that naturally pleasant. It reminded me of his scent too.

The thing that confused me the most out of everything was his eye color. Instead of the coal black I was so hypnotized by, his eyes were this golden, honey brown color. It was much less intimidating looking into his eyes when they were that shade.

But why did his eyes color change? I tried studying his eyes to see if he wore contacts, but I would get too lost in his gaze when I did that. It was almost like his eyes changed due to his mood. I didn't bring that up either because I knew that would make me seem even more obsessed with him.

And don't even get me started on my dreams about him. I had fanaticizing dreams about him before, but most of them were terrifying. I couldn't stop thinking about the dream I had last night about him. It made me blush at the thought.

 _Edward and I were alone in the lecture hall and I could feel the tension building between us. His golden eyes locked with mine, and I felt comfortable knowing they weren't black. He gently roamed his hand over my thigh, causing me to feel turned on. I wanted his strong hands to roam everywhere on my body._

 _Suddenly, Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my seat. He backed me against the wall of the classroom and started placing kisses down my neck. Lust rolled through me as he kissed his way down my body. He lifted up my shirt and kissed me right above my waist, teasing me. I couldn't believe the pleasure of him just kissing me._

 _The dream switched settings as we were suddenly in my room. I was naked in my bed as Edward kissed my inner thigh. His mouth and his hands didn't neglect any part of me…_

I snapped out of the memory of my dream, blushing again. I awoke last night after being incredibly wet. It was pretty embarrassing to think about. I knew I wouldn't be able to not blush the entire time I saw him next.

I was suddenly reminded of just how wrong my dream was. I had a boyfriend. I should be dreaming that way about Bryce…yet I don't recall ever actually dreaming about him. Not that I think about it, it made me _extremely_ uncomfortable to even think about doing anything like that with Bryce. Maybe something was wrong with me. I should feel sexually attracted to my boyfriend.

What was it about Edward that wired my brain to always think about him? I felt pathetic. He had the face of a perfect model. It was unfair.

I was completely ordinary. It actually surprised me that Bryce was interested in me. I thought he'd go for Jessica or Lauren when he first arrived. They seemed more like his type.

So what was Edward Cullen's type? I couldn't think of a single girl that would fit well with him. He was too beautiful. Anyone standing next to him would look dull.

Bryce was furious when Edward had said goodbye to me after English. I was too dazed to even answer his questions. That was the night I had my dream.

Thursday classes weren't too difficult and Bryce had asked me to join him for dinner that night. I had a good time, but I couldn't help feeling guilty.

I told him I couldn't hang out afterwards because I had an English assignment. He tried hiding his annoyed expression after I thanked him and said goodbye.

Now it was Friday, and I was sort of afraid to see Edward again. He made me nervous.

I chose to arrive to class early in hopes to sit by him again. It was ridiculous of me.

I entered the lecture hall and my eyes shifted to where we usually sit. My eyes locked with a pair of golden ones. He was there early this time. His lip curved up into a half smile when he saw me.

I had to remind myself to breath as I approached him.

Little snippets of my dream played out in my mind and heat rose to my cheeks. This made him smile more.

"Hello." He greeted me as I placed my backpack on the ground and sat down. His voice sounded so elegant and velvety.

"Hi." I replied back. My stomach was doing flips whenever he spoke.

I looked down at my hands and then at his. His hands gave me more flashbacks to my dream so I stared at him instead. He was wearing a baby blue dress shirt with khakis. His clothes made him seem even more attractive, but I bet he could wear a garbage bag and still look better than any guy at this university.

He seemed amused as his smile widened more. My heart sped.

"How has your week been? Anything eventful?" He asked me, seeming hopeful.

I wanted to say " _Anything eventful? Does Edward Cullen count?"_

I still wasn't used to making causal conversation with him. He seemed too unordinary for this boring chatter.

"It was alright. I enjoy most of my classes…How about you?"

His forehead creased as he thought about it. "It was pleasant." He replied.

I didn't know what to say after that so he tried furthering the conversation more, "So what are you majoring in?"

Ugh, I hated when people asked me this question. I still had no idea. I knew I wanted it to be something with English, but I was unsure of what career to choose.

"I'm still not sure. I love studying literature, but I don't know what direction to go in." I confessed, feeling guilty for not thinking about my future more.

He raised his eyebrows and nodded.

"What about you?" I asked him, curious.

"I plan on double majoring in English literature and classics. Maybe I'll minor in comparative literature as well." He told me.

Wow. That was impressive. I remember being told before that the Cullens were exceptionally intelligent. I wondered why he didn't go to a more prestigious college. I thought for sure the rest of the Cullens would become doctors like their father.

"That's a lot of work." I told him, biting my lip. It was little habit of mine.

He chuckled silently as if he knew something I didn't. "Well yes, but I believe you can have anything if you want it enough."

My eyes widened as I tried to understand the meaning behind his words. It made me suspicious. There way no way he meant what I was thinking though.

For a second, my eyes looked at his lips. I wanted them on me. His eyes stared into mine and I felt lost.

"Are your eyes naturally gold?" I blurted out suddenly. I tended to say stupid things when I felt under pressure.

He no longer smiled as I watched him keep his expression smooth. Why had my question made him feel that way?

"Um, yes they are." He murmured, looking down at his own hands as his brow furrowed.

I couldn't avoid me sounding obsessed now. I had to play it cool.

"Oh, I thought they looked different the other day." I replied.

I wanted to smooth the worry lines on his forehead with my fingertips. I didn't mean to make him uncomfortable. Maybe I was finally getting him to crack.

"It must have been the lighting." He lied to me, still looking away from me.

Soon enough, students filled the room and I relaxed a little bit. Edward's expression remained perplexed throughout the hour.

I sat through the lecture fidgeting with my hands the entire time. At one point, my anxiety was so high; I bit my lip too hard. I tasted the blood on my lip and winced.

The smell of it was repulsive. I always felt dizzy when I saw blood.

I swore I saw Edward suddenly tense up after this happened. He gripped the armrest of the chair almost too hard. Maybe he got nauseous from blood too. At least we would have something in common.

When I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, I noticed he looked very uncomfortable. What was wrong with him? Was he ok? I could see the tension in his hands as his posture remained rigid.

 _Ahhh, his hands._

I snapped out of my thoughts when the professor announced our first paper assignment. We had to write a paper about some form of literature. It had to be a discussion of a work's characters. He wanted to know if they are they realistic, symbolic, or historically based. There were a few other requirements, but I decided I would go over that later. The rough draft was due Monday so we could have someone else peer edit our work. I hated doing that.

Edward didn't talk to me again that day after I brought up the topic about his eyes.

He lightly smiled at me as we departed for our next classes, but he ran out of there as quickly as possible.

I've had enough with his mysterious ways. I pledge to find out who Edward Cullen really is.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate them tremendously! Let me know what you think! I can't wait to write about what happens next weekend for Edward and Bella. Another random question: What is everybody's favorite movie from the Twilight Saga? I love the first movie the most. I think Catherine Hardwicke is a great director and she captured the imagery well. I loved the other movies, but I kinda hated how professional they seemed. The special effects were great, but I'd rather see a movie in Hardwicke's style. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!


	7. Chapter 7

Bella's POV

I was so relieved when my classes ended. It was finally Saturday so I could relax. I would have to write my paper tomorrow, but I was actually excited to.

I thought I would have the weekend to myself, but Bryce asked me to go to the movies with him. I decided to not make up an excuse.

He picked me up from my apartment around eight o'clock. He told me long stories about all the great guys he has become friends with. I didn't really have much to say because I only talked to this one girl in my math class and of course, Edward.

We finally pulled up to the movie theater and Bryce grabbed my hand. For some odd reason, I wanted to feel some spark when he did this, but I was just met with a warm hand.

I let him pick the movie because I had no idea what would be playing. He chose some James Bond movie that I wasn't familiar with. A guy movie. Great.

He bought us some popcorn and led me to the movie. He chose a seat in the middle, and we started watching the trailers that usually played before the movie itself.

There weren't a lot of people in the theatre, which surprised me since it was a Saturday night. It's probably because this movie is terrible.

Just as the lights began to dim, another person started walking up the steps to find a seat. My mouth almost dropped when I noticed who the familiar figure was.

Edward Cullen strode his way to the top aisle of the theater so he was a couple rows behind me. I saw him holding a bag of popcorn and a drink. He acted as though he didn't see me when I was clearly staring right at him. Why did he come here alone?

I felt instantly self-conscious, but Bryce didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary because his eyes were glued to the screen. Was he stalking me now? I was hoping it was just a coincidence.

I had this strange urge to demand why he was here. He was being sort of creepy sitting behind us.

I decided to just ignore him and pay attention to the movie. At one point, Bryce grabbed my hand, and someone behind us cleared their throat. I had a feeling I knew who it was.

To make things worse, Bryce turned away from the movie during a love scene to try kissing me. I felt awkward and slightly panicked with Edward being behind us. Just as he was about to kiss me, Bryce pulled away and his eyes darted behind us.

"What the hell?" Bryce said as he lightly rubbed his head as if he had been hit with something.

I noticed popcorn was on his shoulders and looked back to stare at Edward. He kept a straight face, but it looked slightly amused. That psychopath! Did he seriously just throw popcorn at Bryce like a child?

"I can't believe someone would throw popcorn at me." Bryce said, still rubbing his head as if the popcorn did actual damage.

I rolled my eyes but agreed, "Yeah, tell me about it."

We turned back to the movie that I wasn't paying attention to, and I felt kind of relieved. I swear I heard a velvet voice lightly chuckling behind us.

When the movie finally ended, I stretched and stood up. I noticed Edward walking out of the theater with a big smile on his face. That jerk.

"That movie was awesome!" Bryce exclaimed, eyes wide. I nodded my head as if I actually paid attention to it. Remind me to never watch another James Bond movie.

Later I convinced Bryce that I was too tired to hangout afterwards. I could see the annoyance on his face as usual when I told him.

He walked me to my apartment door and stopped me before I went in. He grabbed my face and kissed me. I felt uncomfortable because it was almost forced. After he finished, I felt a little empty.

A car with bright headlights kept driving by my street very fast, and it was making Bryce tense.

"Goodnight Bryce." I told him, trying to get him to leave.

The car sped by again.

"Night, Bella." He whispered and walked back to his car.

I just stood there feeling weird. Even after Bryce left, I stayed outside just staring into the empty street.

A silver Volvo drove slowly down the street, and I suddenly felt the urge to go back inside. When I went to sleep, I dreamt of Edward Cullen once again.

* * *

Edward's POV

I almost killed Bella Swan Friday.

Alice never called to warn me about her breaking the skin of her lip with her teeth. Outraged as I was, I blamed Alice again for nearly taking her life. Alice apologized to me by saying she never got a vision about it. Of course.

I remember everything was going great Friday. I was even breathing to try desensitizing myself to Bella's blood. But when she bit down to hard on her lip, my nostrils picked up the smell before the blood even came. All of my senses told me to kill her. It felt like someone had stuck a hot iron along with razor blades down my throat. She smelled so delicious.

My self-control surprised me when I managed to not hurt her. I wasn't able to be a gentlemen, but at least she is still alive.

When we parted our ways, I picked up Bryce's thoughts about Bella. He was thinking about inviting her to a movie tomorrow so he could try making out with her. He then hoped they would have sex for the first time back at her apartment. I had no choice but to make sure that didn't happen. He wasn't even planning on wearing a condom. I was not letting that little fucker have his way with her.

I couldn't hide my rage throughout the day as I paid close attention to Bryce's mind. I got the details to what theatre they were going to attend and started planning.

I hoped to god Bella wouldn't think I'm stalking her, but I really was.

I attempted convincing myself that it was just for her safety. Ha.

When I got to the theatre, I decided to wait until they went in first so I could sit behind them. I purchased a drink and some popcorn as a prop, but I also thought it would come in handy for other reasons.

Bella's facial expression was pure disbelief and shock when I walked in. I acted as though I didn't see her.

I studied the way they sat together, and it seemed like Bella was sitting as far from him as possible in her seat. Why did it seem like she didn't like him?

I cleared my throat when he grabbed her hand. At first, I thought Bryce was too occupied with the movie to actually follow through with his plan. However, as soon as a sex scene came on, his lustful thoughts returned. When he leaned in to kiss her, I threw a handful of popcorn straight at the back of his head, careful to not hit Bella.

Bryce was confused who did it, but I acted as though I wasn't aware of any of it. His attention returned to the movie, but Bella glared at me. I tried to not laugh because I knew she knew it was me.

It made me smile when Bella said she was too tired to hangout after. Bryce was pretty positive that he would get her to change her mind.

I followed them home in my car and learned where Bella lived. It was a decent apartment complex on campus. I kept driving by quickly in my Volvo to scare him. I knew this made humans uncomfortable.

" _Maybe I can at least get a blowjob."_ He hopefully thought.

I growled and pressed down the gas even more when I sped down the street. At this point, he had leaned in and kissed her. Bella didn't have any reaction to it, but Bryce thought he was turning her on. I almost ripped the steering wheel out of the dashboard.

I felt relieved when my antics caused Bryce to give up on staying. Bella told him goodnight and he left. I knew I was acting insane, but I was not letting this pig harm Bella.

Knowing where Bella now lived made me curious. I wanted to see her apartment. I drove my Volvo home, but found myself running back to where she lived.

I had to be careful, because there were a lot of people who could see me out their windows in their apartments. I climbed up a tree from a distance and peered through the windows. It didn't take me long to find Bella. She was in her room typing furiously on her computer. I assumed she was writing her paper for English. I noticed she was wearing pajama shorts and a tank top. It was the first time I saw her exposed legs. It made me feel funny.

Thirty minutes later, she closed her laptop and turned off the lights. I waited for her breathing to slow, and I climbed the wall to her apartment. I didn't even know what I was doing when I opened her living room window. It didn't make a protesting sound when I opened it, making everything easier.

Was I no better than that vile Bryce to sneak into her home? Maybe this situation was wrong….

I peered around the dark room, taking in every detail. Being here burned my throat tremendously because everything was covered in her scent.

I slowly made me way into her bedroom and my mouth fell open. This room smelled the most intense to the point where I had to stop breathing. Her room was cluttered, yet organized. She had so many books. Bella laid spread out on her bed; her dark hair sprawled all over her pillow. She looked so beautiful in her relaxed state. It burned my throat when I noticed her very exposed throat. I wanted to stroke her face with my thumb.

A foreign feeling ran through me when I saw her nipples slightly poking out of her tank top. It made me feel like I wasn't a gentleman. I wanted to do so many things to her body.

Then I remembered who I was and realized how stupid I was for coming here. Bryce had vile thoughts, but at least he didn't sneak into her bedroom at night to watch her sleep. I am fucked up.

Just as I was about to leave, a voice stopped me.

"Edward."

I froze, knowing I was caught. I would have to leave for sure this time. I could never live this down.

"Please…" she whispered again. I then realized her eyes were still closed. Relief washed over me when I understood she was asleep.

But wait, she was dreaming about me? My dead heart felt like it was beating for the first time.

I crept closer to her, standing beside her bed to watch her facial expressions. Was she having a nightmare? Her heart was pounding furiously as she turned over to her side towards me.

"Edward, touch me…" she begged in her dream. I instantly got hard by her plea and couldn't turn away from her. So she was having _that_ sort of dream about me.

Too many emotions were running through me as I watched her sleep. I felt disgusted with myself, relieved, and excited. I could feel the heat coming off of her as she breathed heavily. I wanted to be closer to her.

I didn't want to breath because I wouldn't be able to control myself if she was turned on in her sleep. It would be too much for me.

"Oh, Edward." She moaned in her sleep and I couldn't take it anymore. My erection was hurting in my pants so I had to leave. I knelt down beside her and ran my thumb on her burning cheek. She shivered and smiled. I growled when her mouth opened, blowing her delicious breath in my face. I decided it was best to leave before I started kissing her lips. This was totally wrong of me for being here.

When I got back to my house, I masturbated for the first time. I couldn't get Bella's pleas for me out of my mind for my erection to go away itself.

I was never interested in anything sexual before, so this new feeling felt so strange for me. Emmett use to go around telling everyone I was asexual. That wasn't true. There just wasn't a single girl who held my interest until now.

I knew how morally wrong it was to touch myself to the thought of Bella. I knew it was wrong to sneak into her place. I knew finding a human attractive was wrong. Especially one who had a boyfriend. Especially one who I wanted to kill every second due to her sweet blood.

Everything felt so wrong, yet so right. So maybe I was crazy, but I knew I couldn't stay away from her now.

* * *

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! This chapter made me laugh because Edward was being kinda creepy, lol. I got the idea for the movie theatre because I was forced to see the new James Bond movie this weekend. I actually fell asleep during it, haha. Thank you for being patient through this story. I want everything to build up before I get to the good stuff :)


	8. Chapter 8

**"I just want to go home  
This road's so cold, and I'm alone  
I've got my friends, but they don't know  
I've lost my soul, I'm made of stone**

 **I'm just so tired  
Nothing is real  
I lost my love to the complex inside me  
I was so mean  
To a girl who loved me unconditionally**

 **Is it so wrong?  
Is it so wrong?  
To be in love  
And OH Is it so wrong?  
Is it so wrong?  
To be in love  
To be in love  
I don't know"**

 **-Complex Heart by Never Shout Never**

Bella's POV

I had another dream about Edward last night that made my face burn with embarrassment. I felt dirty for having these thoughts and dreams about a man I met a week ago. My relationship with Bryce was supposed to be better, yet I felt like I was being pulled in a different direction. I wanted Edward. I couldn't deny that. Jacob would kill me if he knew about my thoughts.

Speaking of Jacob, he called me this morning to tell me about his date with the girl he liked in his class. I was so happy for him. He deserved someone great.

I avoided talking about Edward to him because I didn't feel like fighting with him.

My mom and dad both called as well. They asked me the simple "how is college life?" questions that I've been hearing from pretty much everyone lately.

Angela starts classes tomorrow. She called me too to tell me how nervous she was. I assured her that everything would be all right. She was valedictorian after all.

There were so many exciting things I should be thinking about, yet Edward Cullen was the main one. He made me so mad for his weird actions. It wasn't normal. No normal person who put up with him, but I could.

Even as I wrote my paper for English, I noticed I chose a story about forbidden love without even thinking. I should be admitted to a mental hospital.

* * *

When Monday came, I felt confident about calling out Edward once I got to class. He needed to be taught a lesson on his manners. I walked out of my truck with my head held high.

I arrived much earlier than before so I decided to sit by the main fountain on our campus. It was enormous and extravagant, and you could see the mountains from it. Knowing me though, I managed to trip over my two left feet.

 _Shit!_ I was about to fall into the fountain, head first, but hands that I dreamed about every night caught me before I could. Edward spun me around, facing me towards him. I felt lust when I was eye to eye with him. He held me close, blowing his breath in my face.

I almost felt like I was high when he did that. I smoked marijuana once with Jacob because he claimed it wasn't that bad. I hated it though because I felt like a complete idiot. I couldn't think straight. This was just like that, but I felt calmer. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling.

My angry thoughts pulled me back to reality and I shoved him away. His face looked hurt, but I wasn't going to let that phase me.

"So is stalking people something you do on your free time?" I half-heartedly joked, sitting down beside the fountain, annoyed.

To my surprise, Edward started laughing. Why is that funny?

"And why do you assume I stalk people?" he asked me, clearly amused.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Please. Don't play dumb. I'm tired of this secretive behavior."

He sighed and sat down beside me on the fountain. I jumped when he grabbed my hands, as if he was about to confess something to me. His cold hands distracted me from all austere judgments.

"I didn't stalk you at the movie theater. The movie held my interest so I went to go see it. I go to the theatre quite a lot actually. I was just as surprised as you when I noticed you were sitting in front of me." His eyes were serious as he spoke, "And I noticed a guy in front of me was forcing himself upon a girl who looked disinterested. I was just trying to help the situation. I didn't know it was you until you glared at me." He told me, making me even madder.

"Disinterested?" I questioned him with anger. "Bryce is my boyfriend, Edward. I've been dating him for quite some time. I think I can handle myself." I yelled at him.

He raised his eyebrows as if he didn't believe what I said. "I doubt that." He replied nonchalantly.

"Why do you even care?" I questioned.

He licked his lips, distracting me.

 _Bryce. Bryce. Bryce._ I tried reminding myself.

"I care because you seem like a really nice girl, but Bryce is not good for you." He confessed to me.

So all of this was because he wanted to babysit me?  
"How would you know that? You have never even met him!" I reminded him ripping my hands from his and started walking away. But he grabbed my hand, pulling me back.

Lustful Bella rejoiced at his touch. Serious Bella wanted to hit him in the jaw.

"What!?" I asked him, trying to walk away again.

"Bella." He growled my name, spinning me towards him again.

His eyes hypnotized me as I gave in, but I crossed my arms.

"I can sense when people are no good, so please trust me on this one. Bryce is bad news. I'm just trying to help you before he does something." Edward explained.

"Whatever." I said, feeling my stubbornness come out.

Edward followed me to our English class as we both sat down in the back row like always. I felt like no sane person would put up with this.

I refused to talk to him after he tried telling me what to do. I felt bad for yelling at him, but he talked to me like he knew my situation. He doesn't know anything about me.

I wanted to die when our Professor reminded us that we were peer-editing today. He told us to exchange papers with those sitting next to us. Edward smiled when he pulled out his paper and passed it to me. Everything was always a big joke to him. I rolled my eyes as we exchanged papers. I'm sure he would criticize my paper just like he criticizes my love life.

We were supposed to bring the paper home to revise it and bring it back Wednesday. I stuffed his paper in my backpack, not even reading it yet. Edward was flipping through the pages of mine, seeming fascinated. He looked like he was reading a porn magazine for Christ's sake. I groaned.

When class ended, I tried to get around him so I could leave, but he blocked my escape route.

"What? Do you want to tell me how terrible my paper is too?" I asked, trying to find my way around him.

He smiled my favorite crooked smile and shook his head.

"I want to apologize for making you so angry. Just please think about what I said." I continued looking around him, pretending I wasn't listening. Then he lightly placed his finger under my chin, tilting my face to his. "Please, Bella." He pleaded me, with his smile exchanged for a tortured expression.

I sighed, but nodded my head.

He let me pass him and I headed to my truck like usual as I waited for my next class. I prayed a silent "thank you" to God when Bryce wasn't waiting outside the classroom for me.

* * *

Edward's POV

I felt so bad about making Bella upset. This "relationship" between us was constantly being built on distrust. How could I make her trust me though when I had no choice but to lie? I expected her to be outraged when I told her to stay away from Bryce. She didn't listen to anyone. She tried looking furious, but she ended up looking like an angry kitten.

I felt victorious when I got to read her paper. It was like I finally got a glimpse into her secret thoughts. I figured she would write about romance, but the story she chose surprised me. It made me wonder what other things cross her mind.

She chose the love story between Cupid and Psyche. It was generally about overcoming the obstacles of forbidden love. Her paper was very well written and expressed a great deal of passion. There were a few grammatical errors I corrected, but I mostly wanted to get on her good side. I didn't want to change anything about her paper, so I just wrote detailed responses to the side of her work.

I had to hunt Tuesday to make it easier being around Bella. Normally I would wait weeks to hunt, but it's easy when I always have access to the hunting grounds near my home.

My complex mind wanted things between Bella and I to develop, but I felt like the devil offering her the forbidden fruit to a life of sin.

Suddenly, my phone rang, distracting me. It was Alice. I stopped breathing.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, stressed. She normally only called when something bad was going to happen.

"What? I can't just call to talk to my brother?" she joked on the other line.

I smiled, relaxing. I only hoped whatever she had to say was good.

"You're a true gentlemen Edward. Just so you know, following a girl around and even watching her as she sleeps _is_ considered stalking."

If I were human, my face would be redder than a tomato.

 _Damnit._ I thought to myself. Of course I couldn't keep this a secret from Alice.

"Do the others know?" I asked, not bothering to know what details she had in her visions. We were used to sharing our thoughts about our sexual life. Or at least they were since they had no choice when I was around.

"No. And they don't need to know if you don't want them to. I haven't even told Jasper." She admitted proudly.

"Thank you, Alice." I sighed. I had to admit, I missed being around Alice. She was a pain in the ass, but I could always relate to her the most. We were both the freaks with gifts. There were no secrets for us.

Well, except Bella. But that's a different story.

"That _could_ change though. You never know when I might need something. It would be perfect blackmail." She teased me. I scoffed.

"Yeah, Alice. Try going there. Don't think I don't know worse things about you." I replied and shuddered. Her and Jasper's sexual life wasn't considered "normal" in the least bit.

"You got me there." She laughed and agreed. "But do you know what you're going to do about Bella?" she asked me in all seriousness.

How was I supposed to answer her when I didn't know the answer for myself?

"I'm not sure, Alice. I feel strange when I think about her. I barely know her, but she is suddenly all I think about. I feel tense unless I can see she is safe." I told Alice, letting down all the barriers.

She pondered her thoughts before thinking. "Well…I've been seeing a lot of things. They've been mostly good, don't worry, but your future is changing constantly. Bella doesn't love Bryce." She explained to me.

My dead heart rejoiced. Alice was always right about these things. I now understood why she didn't tell me about her visions before.

"Yeah, I got a lot to figure out. This isn't an easy decision to make. I just want what's best for her, you know?"

"Yes. I do. But please don't forget how amazing you are, Edward. Stop moping around like emo Romeo. I want you to be happy because you deserve it." She said, making me roll my eyes.

 _Emo Romeo?_

"I'll try my best. Nice talking to you, sis." I replied, feeling a little better now.

"Of course." She told me and the line went dead.

* * *

I'm happy I got to write another chapter before I go to bed! I can't wait for the next one. Don't worry my impatient readers! Bryce should be out of the picture "this weekend" in my story. It will probably be the next chapter. And things between Edward and Bella will be normal. I can't wait! Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

"Sweet blooded and I'm stranded  
See if I can stand it  
Drinkin' in the shallow water

Magnetic everything about you  
You really got me now

You do it to me so well  
Hypnotic takin' over me  
Make me feel like someone else  
You got me talkin' in my sleep  
I don't wanna come back down  
I don't wanna touch the ground  
Pacific ocean dug so deep  
Hypnotic takin' over me"

-Hypnotic by Zella Day

Bella's POV

Reading Edward's paper made me feel incompetent. Edward chose to write about Macbeth, which mostly focuses on the seven deadly sins. It appeared he knew a lot about sin himself because he broke down the story better than an English Professor.

Was this man even the age he claimed to be? Most of his words sounded very old-fashioned, and I almost needed a dictionary to know the meaning to them.

Being given the task to peer edit his paper was like telling a blind man to read-impossible. I didn't even know where to begin!

I wanted to just give him a stamp of approval for his college degree already. This stuff must be a cakewalk for him.

Instead of focusing on grammar and corrections, I decided to just write my opinions off to the side. It was saddening reading his thoughts about sin. He thought people shouldn't ever be forgiven for committing acts of evil-doing. His viewpoint on the characters was close-minded.

I dreaded going to class Wednesday because I was afraid to see what he corrected about my paper.

When I did show up for class, he was already sitting there, reading a book to himself. I recognized it as _Metamorphoses_ by Apuleius, the book I took my story from in my paper. Of course the know-it-all needed to read about it firsthand.

I sat beside him and crossed my arms. I still was upset about what he said Monday. I don't like it when people try telling me what to do-especially when they don't know me.

Edward may be right about my disinterest, but that didn't mean Bryce was a bad guy. If anything, it was the other way around in our situation. I was the one lusting after a man I hardly knew while having a boyfriend.

Suddenly an angelic voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Good morning." He greeted me, smiling.

"Morning." I said back, trying to sound disinterested.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked me, and I blushed remembering my dream about last night. It wasn't anything sexual this time, but I dreamt that Edward told me he loved me. It was utterly strange.

"I suppose so." I replied, trying to hide my face. "And you?" I asked him back.

"No, I was restless." His smile widened even more, and it appeared he was stifling back a laugh. I don't know why that was funny.

"So I see you liked the story I wrote about." I said, pointing to the book in his hands.

"Ah, yes. I was surprised you chose something so un-popular. I thought you would have chosen Jane Austen." He stated, raising a brow.

"Why not expand the horizon?" I shrugged. "I didn't want to write about a story like Macbeth-something everyone has already read." I joked playfully.

"Ouch, Bella. You didn't need to go straight for my heart." He said, holding his chest like he was wounded. I laughed, breaking down the wall I had built before.

"In all seriousness though, where did you learn to write like that?" I asked, curious.

He pursed his lips, thinking over my questions. "What do you mean?"

"Um, I don't know if you know this, but your writing excels the average undergrad's ability." I scoffed.

He chuckled, but shrugged, "We can't all be talented." He mused. I rolled my eyes.

"My adoptive mother Esme made me write a lot when I was a kid. She always pushed me further." He answered genuinely.

I guess it makes sense. I forgot that the Cullen's were adopted.

We were then interrupted by the Professor greeting the class. He told us hand back our papers so we could make our corrections for Friday.

My heart began to race as I pulled his out of my folder. Edward and I swapped back our papers and I was surprised at the lack of corrections he wrote on mine. I made a few small mistakes, but all I could stare at was his penmanship. It matched his style of writing on point.

" _I'm_ close-minded?" Edward asked me, in a tone of disbelief. I resisted laughing because I forgot I wrote that on his paper.

"Listen, Hemingway" I joked "I had a hard time finding anything wrong with your paper. I had to put something down!"

Edward smiled and shook his head. "But you still wrote it down."

"Well, sorry! Your thoughts about sin were kinda depressing." I admitted to him.

"Yeah, I've heard that before." He laughed again.

* * *

Thursday came and I finally had time to do laundry and talk to my mom on the phone for hours. She seemed to be living the time of her life ever since Phil was signed to a baseball team a few years ago. I was so happy for her.

Angela had texted me how difficult her classes were already. I felt bad knowing there wasn't anything I could do to help her.

I hadn't heard form Jacob so I assumed he was busy with his mystery girl.

Bryce called me to already discuss our plans for the weekend. He sounded overly eager. He said some of his buddies were throwing a house party Friday and that we _had_ to go. I felt guilty for my lack of involvement in our relationship so I unwillingly agreed.

Parties and I do not mix. The only people I had a fun time partying with were the kids down on the reservation. Angela had felt the same way because we were able to be ourselves without peer pressure getting in the way. Bryce's friend seemed like a different story.

I made the corrections to my paper I needed and felt a little better knowing Edward, the next William Shakespeare, approved of it. Hopefully the Professor would too.

I was a little angsty on Friday knowing I'd have to go to that party. The only thing that calmed my nerves was when I saw Edward's smile as I walked into class. I wasn't sure how the other girl weren't always attacking him. I noticed he got a lot of stares, but I myself could barely resist throwing myself at him.

I asked him what he was doing this weekend and he said he was undecided.

"Well, my boyfriend's friends are throwing a house party this weekend. Parties aren't normally my thing, but I agreed to go. You could come with us if you want." I let him know. The thought of Edward going to a party with Bryce and me made me laugh. Bryce would be pissed, but at least I would have someone to talk to. Bryce usually ignored me when his friends were around.

"As much as I would love to attend, I don't think I was really invited…" he trailed off. I sensed some discomfort when he said this.

"No, it's totally alright. They won't mind at all." I assured him.

"Bella, I'm pretty sure your boyfriend wouldn't want me going to a party with you guys." He said, looking amused by this.

I guess he was right, but I felt calmer at thought of him going with me.

"Well, I'll let you think about it, but" I paused to rip off a piece a paper to write my phone number down, "if you want to go, just text or call me." I told him as I handed him the paper.

I saw his face light up as I did this. He smile was the widest I've ever seen it.

"Of course." Edward said, delicately folding the paper and putting it in his pocket.

* * *

Edward never called or texted me about the party before we left. I was a little disappointed because I was sure he'd change his mind. Now I'd have to face it all alone.

The party was ok at first. Bryce towed me along; never introducing me to the people we met. I almost felt invisible, except his annoying arm was always around me. I wasn't a trophy.

All the kids drank enormous amounts of alcohol, as if they never would again. One of Bryce's friends handed me a mixed drink. I looked down into the red solo cup, taking a whiff, and I couldn't help not hiding the disgust on my face.

Jacob, aka Mr. bad influence, had me drink with him before down on the reservation. I got sick and threw up everywhere. I pledged to never drink alcohol again. So for the rest of the night, I would take little sips here and there, while "going to bathroom" a lot and dumping the rest of the drink down the sink. Bryce seemed pleased whenever my drink was empty.

I wondered what Edward was doing at this very moment. I was an idiot because I left my phone at home so I hoped he didn't try contacting me.

None of the people here enticed me as much as Edward. I wished I were hanging out with him instead. I shouldn't be feeling that way, but I couldn't help it. As the night dragged on, Bryce and his buddies were getting more rowdy and stupid. They played endless games of beer pong as I sat and watched. Luckily no one asked me to play.

"Why does Bella look annoyed all of the time?" the friend asked rudely, nudging Bryce. I tried concealing my anger.

"I don't know. Babe, why do you?" he said looking at me with a glossy stare. I felt very uncomfortable. Everyone's eyes were on me.

"I need to take a step outside…" I mentioned quietly as I was finally freed from Bryce's grasp. My breathing remained jagged.

I heard one of them mutter, "Probably because Bryce and her have never done anything!" they all laughed. I wanted to punch them in the face.

As I stepped outside, I realized people were actually smoking, so I knew it would make it worse. I went back inside and tried to find a room unoccupied for me to relax. I walked down the hallway and eventually found my place of serenity.

It looked like guest bedroom, but there was a bookshelf with a few classics on it. I instantly grabbed a Jane Austen novel. Not even ten minutes later, someone burst through the door.

"There you are baby!" Bryce shouted at me, making me feel fearful. I didn't understand why I suddenly felt grossed out by him. I started dating him because he seemed like a good person…but now, not so much. He didn't act like a gentleman.

"I knew you were thinking the same thing…" he slurred as he locked the door and began to climb on the bed over me, knocking my book to the ground. I tried pushing him off, but he began forcibly kissing me, his breath smelling like liquor. He was hurting me since all of his body weight leaned on me. He tried slipping a hand under my shirt, but I kicked into him, making him fall back.

"Goddamnit, Bella. Why do you have to be such a fucking prude…" he yelled at me. "We've been dating for a few months now and we haven't even French kissed. A man has needs, baby." He slurred again.

This was _not_ the same guy I met before. He was totally different, influenced by alcohol. I grew more fearful when I realized I had left my cell phone at home. Damnit.

"You're drunk." I stated, trying to push him off as he crept over me again. I had nothing to defend myself.

"No I'm not. I barely drank anything…" he tried convincing me.

I almost started hyperventilating when he began undoing his belt.

"No!" I screamed, trying to get away. But he grabbed my wrist and held me back. His pants were pulled down, him being only in his boxers. His legs were resting on mine now, making them impossible to move as well. My screams would never be heard over the loud music where the party was. I couldn't believe this was happening. I couldn't believe Bryce was this kind of person. I should have listened to Edward.

"Please! Stop it Bryce!" I yelled again, as he pulled down my pants to my knees, revealing my underwear. I thrashed and thrashed.

"Come on baby, you know you want to…"

Suddenly I heard a loud crash in the house; then someone tried opening the door. The knob wiggled profusely. Bryce froze when a hand punched through the door effortlessly and unlocked the door. I felt so relieved to see his face.

Edward Cullen didn't even hesitate to throw Bryce off the bed and into the wall. The dry wall broke as his body morphed into it.

"What the fuck!" Bryce yelled.

"Don't you EVER lay a hand on Bella again or I will kill you, you vile piece of shit." Edward spat. I had never seen him so angry. It almost seemed like his entire body was shaking.

I was still breathing heavily as Edward made eye contact with me, as I sat frozen in fear. His pitch black eyes bore in mine. My pants were still down as Edward came to my side.

"Bella please put your pants back on." He said with his teeth clenched. I was in shock though and everything felt strange. I couldn't move as quickly to Edward's taste, so he beat me to it. He helped me stand up as he quickly pulled my pants up, buttoning them, never breaking eye contact with me; a true gentleman.

Bryce was rubbing his head and then he suddenly threw up everywhere. I didn't know whether to get help for him or not. I had a feeling Edward wouldn't let me.

"Let's go." He muttered as he led me out the door, grabbing my hand.

Edward Cullen was definitely something else.

When I got into his car, I didn't expect to be bombarded with his heavenly smell. It made me dizzy. I noted how much a gentleman he was when he ran ahead of me just to open the car door.

Edward closed my car door for me and got into the other side. I started to shiver when I realized I didn't have a coat with me. He didn't hesitate to slip off his large jacket and hand it to me. "Put this on." He instructed as he turned up the heat.

I didn't want to ruin his fancy coat, but I put the coat on anyways. His jacket smelled even better than the car. Edward didn't look at me as we sped off. His expression still seemed to be angry.

Looking at the window, I didn't realize how fast we were going. Everything was a blur. The speed dial neared 100.

"Maybe you should slow down…" I suggested, not having the slightest clue where we were going.

"I always drive this fast." He stated blankly, as if it was totally normal.

"Ok, well where are we headed?" I questioned him. His pursed lips suddenly turned into a half smile.

"We're going to a place where I like to relax." Was all he told me.

Great.

I didn't say anything after that. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk to me.

When we finally pulled into a parking lot, I realized where we were. It was the park beside the waterfront. He opened the door for me again, as he led me to a bench right next to the water. I wasn't aware of the time, but I figured it was pretty late if no was walking around.

It was a beautiful night. The moon was full and stars were shining brighter than ever. The ocean breeze wasn't too chilling, as I smelled the salty air.

We sat on the bench in silence. Edward's coat started to feel heavier every second he didn't speak.

I looked at his beautiful face, glowing in the moonlight. It almost seemed to be luminescent. He really was the most perfect man.

"I should have listened to you…" I said, breaking the silence.

Edward's eyes winced slightly. He was starring out at the ocean. I could tell the tension began to subdue from the relaxing environment.

"You didn't know any better. Don't worry about. I'm just glad I was there to save you."

I was glad he was there too.

"How could I be so stupid though?" I asked him. "I actually thought Bryce was a good person."

He turned towards me and shook his head. "Bella, he has a lot of people fooled. You aren't stupid." He assured me.

I wanted to badly touch his face or at least be closer to him. My body was practically vibrating at the thought. I scooted closer to him and rested my head on his shoulder. His body stiffened, but then he sighed.

"How did you know where to find me?" I asked him, suddenly wondering.

"Well, when you didn't text me back, I got worried." He told me. I breathed in his scent, making me relax more.

"I'm sorry about that. I left my phone at home." I responded, wanting to hit myself because he had actually texted me.

The waves splashed before us, and I felt the salty water droplets lightly come in contact with my face.

I didn't feel like questioning him anymore. I was exhausted and just decided to be not interrogate him for once. I was just grateful for his rescue.

"Can you tell me something?" Edward asked me. I felt my heart begin to race, but then I felt his cold hand grasp mine. His touch sent shivers down my spine.

"Depends." I replied, a little shakily.

I lifted my head from his shoulder and looked into his golden eyes. He actually looked nervous himself.

His licked his lips, and paused before he spoke. "Tell me. Do I hold your interest?"

He phrased it weirdly, but I guess that was his way of asking me if I liked him. I bit my lip and nodded. "Maybe a bit too much." I confessed.

"Really?" he asked me, as if it was shocking news. Probably anyone could tell I was obsessed with him.

"Um have you seen yourself, Edward? You read literature for fun, you're a gentleman, and you're kind of perfect. I'd say it's pretty hard not to be interested by you." I let him know. "And don't even get me started on your dazzling effect."

He lifted a brow. "My _dazzling_ effect?" he questioned.

 _As if he didn't know!_

"It's like you hypnotize me when I look into your eyes. I can't explain it." I responded back, chuckling to myself at how ridiculous I sounded.

Edward half-smiled as he shook his head.

Without thinking, I placed my hand on his cheek and his eyes lit up, golden orbs glistening in the moonlight. I didn't have that much experience with intimacy, since I avoided it with Bryce before, but I wanted to be close with Edward.

He froze, not moving. His eyes looked panicked. I leaned in a little, and swiftly kissed him on the cheek. His cold cheek wasn't a problem due to the electricity soaring threw me whenever we touched. If anything, his skin was more inviting.

"Thank you." I breathed.

Edward's expression was unpredictable. He seemed filled with joy, yet in pain.

After a while, he swallowed and said, "Of course."

* * *

Yay for another chapter! The next one should be good. Sorry it took me so long to post. I got sick earlier in my gender studies class because we were watching a documentary on women who were sterilized without consent in 1971, but they ended up showing the surgical procedure performed on someone in the video. The entire idea of it all made me dizzy and I felt faint for the rest of the day. Thank god Bryce is out of the picture! Time for the good stuff. Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

Edward's POV

I wanted to crucify Bryce. He deserved to be tortured for the rest of his meaningless existence. I thought of all the different ways I could murder him, yet castration seemed like the best possible idea.

I knew Carlisle would inform me that killing him would be too conspicuous, so I would have to think of other ways to avenge my Bella.

I had already made plans to watch out for Bella at the party from a distance, but I panicked when she went off on her own. It frightened me knowing I couldn't watch her through someone else's thoughts. I decided to text her and ask if I could still join them. I had been doing circles around the house in my Volvo when I picked up Bryce's thoughts. It was surprising to me that I managed to not expose myself right then and there. Surely Bella realized my immense strength when I slammed Bryce into the wall without any effort. It surprised me that she didn't bring it up.

Thinking about Bella being violated that way was unfathomable. I thanked the lucky stars for my existence for once in my life. Not all of us are as lucky.

I shuddered as I thought about what Royce did to Rosalie in the past.

I never thought of myself as perfect. Perfection is inaccessible to anyone. You could believe someone is perfect, but that is purely an opinion. I committed various acts of sin in my past. I wasn't always an animal drinker. Throughout my rebellious years, I drank from humans whose thoughts were as nefarious as Bryce's. It had excited me when I arrived to the scene of the crime in that stranger's bedroom. My body reacted like I was hunting. It told me to end his life. Now, imagine how difficult it was for me when Bella was thrown into the picture. I was animalistic and afraid of myself. The anger I held towards the situation is what resurrected my humanity.

Though when Bella described me as "perfect", it felt wrong to hear that word paired with myself. Yes, it made me feel like I won the lottery when she confessed her interest for me, but to be considered perfect? I was far from it.

My angel's thoughts were a locked diary, yet I respected her opinions as I would for a saint. They mattered.

Bella hardly pestered me with her questions, and I was grateful. I didn't have her answers just yet. To be quite honest, I didn't want her to know what I was just yet.

Can you imagine the situation? It'd sent her running.

" _Oh hey Bella, I want to drink your blood more than a heroin addict needs his fix, but I also want to have a relationship with you"._

Ha! My presence holds the same danger as someone who holds a knife to her throat 24-7. Possibly worse. Any quick movements or distractions could kill her in seconds.

Right now, I just wanted to enjoy my limited time with her. I could maybe get away with telling her secrets about my life here and there, but I wasn't ready to confess everything. Technically it was illegal to tell her, but the Volturi would most likely not find out.

Despite all my rude behavior, despite all my lies, Bella still sat here on this very bench with me, holding my hand. I wanted to moan whenever she would caress my hand with her thumb.

It frightened me at her closeness when she kissed my cheek, but my face still burned where her lips had been minutes ago. If she had kissed me too fast, I could have lost control. Her heat coming into contact with me so swiftly was simply too much. I was perpetually swallowing my venom and denying my body of its instincts as she returned to resting her head on my shoulder. Her arm shakily wrapped around my waist, unsure, and I put mine around hers, feeling euphoria at her touch.

The salty water splashed us slightly, and it made Bella's scent smell even better than before. Fire burned my throat as I buried my lips in her hair, breathing in her delectable fragrance.

It felt right being next to her this way. My focus of life wasn't about just getting by day by day anymore. It was about her. I lived for her blushing scarlet when she was embarrassed or hiding something. I lived for her touch. I lived for the enticing feeling I felt when I looked into her chocolate orbs. Her eyes resembled the color of the earth kissed by spring rains, the hue that promises to stir life from the dormant seeds, the deep brown of the winter trees at twilight. The soft warmness of her eyes warps around me like a blanket, and makes me feel at home. I was changed. And I only hoped she wouldn't run from me when she learned the truth.

We stared out at the water for what seemed like hours, watching the tide come in. The ocean's vast, limitless expanse reminded me of life. You could be anything, do anything.

Gandhi had once said that whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it's very important that you do it. I used to only agree with the first part, but now I understood. Gandhi knew his life would have meaning to someone or something, somehow and somewhere. And now I knew what my life's meaning was for.

Bella suddenly yawned, reminding me of her needs.

"Shall I bring you home now?" I asked her, still having my lips against her hair.

She sighed and nodded. I could tell she didn't want to leave our embrace as much I didn't.

I helped her stand, but her knees seemed shaky. Without my arms holding her in place, she would have surely fallen.

"Are you able to walk back to the car?" I asked, worried. Carrying her would surely test my control, but I was sure I could do it.

She steadied herself and blinked her eyes a few times. "Yes, I'm fine."

She reached down and grabbed my hand again, making me smile. We walked our way back to the car and drove home in silence. I was sure Bella was falling asleep, but then she spoke, "I am incredibly grateful for you saving me, but can I please ask you something?"

I knew the questions were bound to come. I sighed and nodded, prepared for anything.

"I know you're hiding stuff from me, and that's ok if you're not ready to tell me yet. I want you to know you can trust me." She began, biting her lip. "My friend Jacob once told me you and your family were dangerous. I knew something was different about you, but he never spilled the truth. He lives on the Quileute reservation back in Forks. I don't believe you're bad though. You happen to appear just at the right times, and you have inhuman qualities that can't be explained on their own. Can you please just me something significant so I'm not completely blind to the situation?" she asked me.

Damn that Jacob Black. He's lucky he didn't say anything. Bella was wrong about me being bad though. She was too naïve.

I thought about what I could share with her without scaring her away. Her heavy breathing intoxicated me as her delicious scent filled the car.

"Just start by how you found me." She continued, ushering me.

I suppose that secret could be shared.

I took a deep breath, reminding myself of the monster I was. "I have a gift that may seem like science-fiction." I told her. "I can read minds."

She looked panicked. Her heart started racing as her eyes widened in horror.

"Calm down, I can't read yours." I assured her, rolling my eyes.

She didn't know what to say. She appeared shocked.

"Why can't you read mine?" her eyes looked suspicious.

I speculated this for myself too. "I don't know. I've never experienced it before. It drives me insane."

She seemed smug by this.

"So is that how you knew about Bryce?" she questioned, believing me.

I nodded. "I knew he wasn't good since the first day of college. He's a pig." I let her know, grinding my teeth at the thought.

"And you read his mind at the party? That's how you found me?"

"I was afraid for your safety so I went anyways, keeping a close eye on the situation. Then I heard what he was thinking." I snarled, remembering his actions.

"Was that the reason you went to the same movie as us too?" she asked, completely entranced in our conversation.

For a human, she was pretty perceptive.

"Yes." was all I replied as I pulled into the parking lot to her apartment complex.

She looked outside, probably confused. I forgot that I wasn't supposed to know where she lived yet.

"Hey! I thought you said you couldn't read my mind!" she huffed, crossing her arms.

I laughed, shaking my head. "I can't. I had to make sure you got home safe after the movies though." I confessed feeling embarrassed when I thought about my little uninvited adventure to her home.

"Oh." She calmed down. " So it was you who kept driving by like a madman that night." She put the pieces together, directing her hand to my car.

I chuckled more, nodding.

I got out of the car and ran to her side before she could reach the handle. I opened the door for her, and she jumped not realizing I was there. Being around her made me forgot to hide my façade.

She got out the car, still wearing my jacket. It made her small body seem even more fragile. We walked to her apartment building door and I stopped, prepared to say goodbye to her, but her words refrained me.

"Can you come inside with me?" her eyes looked up at me, as she sounded hopeful. I wasn't sure what to say. Being actually invited inside could make it impossible to not be tempted by her.

"It's fine if you don't want to…I just don't want to be alone after what happened tonight." She spoke, and I could tell she was worried.

I decided to give into her pleas. "Ok."

She unlocked the door and led me to the 4th story of the building.

When we entered, I was hit with her overpowering scent again, but it wasn't so bad because I had been with her for most of the evening. I was able to examine everything clearly now as she stepped inside, placing her keys down on the kitchen table. One thing that surprised me about her house was that she didn't have a TV in the living room. Instead, an iPod docking station was on the TV stand. I never noticed it before.

"May I have a proper tour?" I asked her.

"Um, sure." She said, leading her way through the place. We walked out of her kitchen/living room and headed down the tiny hallway.

"There's the bathroom." She pointed to a small room and then she paused in front of her bedroom door.

"My place isn't that big. Also, don't mind my bedroom. It's a little messy." She admitted, opening the door.

We walked in, and I noticed more books were scattered everywhere. The lights on the wall had been left on. She had a few pieces of clothing on the ground. I noticed her bra was hanging from the headboard on the bed. She blushed seeing it too, so she grabbed it and threw it in her closet.

"Sorry." She apologized. "I haven't had company over in a long time."

I walked around her room, examining its every detail. She had a few frames on her desk that held pictures of her when she was younger. I finally got to see who her mother was. Then she had some pictures from Forks. There was a lot of her with a girl with dark brown hair, and a boy who looked Quileute.

"That's Jacob and Angela." She informed me, sitting down on the bed.

"So I take it you enjoyed Forks?" I asked, noting her genuine smile in all of the pictures. It pained me to think what life would have been life I had stayed with her.

"Yes, I miss my friends sometimes, but I don't exactly miss Forks. Seattle is much more exciting." She spilled some of her thoughts. I liked that I was beginning to know more about her.

I didn't want to offend her by sitting on the bed beside her, so I remained standing. She stared at me, eyes filled with wonder. She bit her lip seeming to be thinking about something, as she blushed more. What could be on her mind? Her stomach growled, breaking the silence.

"I should probably eat something. I don't remember the last time I ate today." She said, standing up and heading towards the kitchen. I followed her.

"Would you like anything to eat?" she offered. I held back a laugh.

"No thank you, I ate earlier." I lied.

She made herself a quick sandwich and we both sat down at her small dinner table. I watched as she ate, but I noticed she began to get self-conscious. I forgot humans normally don't like being watched while eating. I just liked watching the way her mouth moved.

"Sorry, I don't have really have anything entertaining here." She apologized. I didn't need entertainment when I had Bella. I didn't want to continue making her uncomfortable though so I stood up from the table and walked to her IPod dock. I picked up the device and started searching through her music. To my surprise, it was all classical pieces. The last thing she was listening to was _Gymnopédies No.1._ One of my favorites. I started playing it, feeling exhilarated.

"You like Erik Satie?" she asked, shocked.

I thought about all the times I played it on my piano, never getting to experience the same passion I felt towards it with anyone else.

"Yes. Although, I prefer to play it myself." I said, walking back to her.

"You play?" she questioned in disbelief. "I've always wanted to learn. Is there anything you aren't good at?"

I laughed at her response.

"Maybe I'll play for you sometime."

Suddenly the song ended and switched to _Claire De Lune_ by Debussy.

Her mouth fell open as I held out my hand for her.

"May I have this dance?" I politely asked her. Her breathing and heart rate sped at my gesture, but she eventually stood up, taking my hand. I marveled at her touch, trying to be careful.

"I don't know if you know this, but I really can't walk straight, let alone dance." She told me nervously as I led her towards her living room.

She was awkward with her movements, so I gently lifted her up, sliding my feet below hers. I moved gracefully around the room, and tried to not think about the monster inside of me.

Her fragrance enveloped me as I tried controlling myself. I was so close to her throat that I could see the blue vein pumping, calling my name. My throat was burning, but I began to find it easy to ignore when I paid closer attention to other aspects about her. I began to feel lustful when I stared down her lips that she kept biting out of habit. I breathed out of my mouth, accidentally blowing my breath in her face.

Bella seemed to be affected by me too because her heart never slowed and her pupils were dilated. Without thinking, I stopped dancing and gently placed one of my cold hands on the side of her cheek, utterly in awe as its warmth caressed me.

I could feel her pulse under her paper skin, but I didn't let that get in the way.

I leaned in daringly, afraid to not make any sudden movements. Bella closed her eyes and started leaning in too, as if she knew what I was about to do.

"Don't move, please." I told her and she stopped. Her breathing became more ragged at the anticipation, and it casted a cloud of warmth against my face, making it more difficult to pay attention.

I made sure I swallowed every bit of venom as I finally place my lips against hers.

The feeling was breathtaking. I moved my lips slowly against hers; taking in the exhilarating sensations it was giving me. She tasted so sweet and divine. I hadn't opened my mouth all the way, because I was afraid of my teeth coming in contact with her, but her fragrance still made its way to my tongue. One of my hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer to me. Bella seemed to react to this because she clutched me closer to her too, running her hand through my hair. I moaned. Never had I experienced something so invigorating in my entire life. Her other hand ran down my chest, and with that, I had to stop.

I pulled away, and she gasped for air.

"Wow." She breathed, still lost in her lust.

"You should probably get some sleep." I panted, trying to do what was right for our situation.

She still had her hands on me as her breathing began to slow.

"Will you spend the night with me?" she begged me, clutching onto my shirt.

I couldn't have been happier. "Whoa, I usually like to be taken to dinner first." I joked, smiling down at her.

She rolled her eyes, looking down. Her blush stained her cheeks, and I felt it against my skin being so close to her.  
"You know I don't mean like that." She bantered.

"Do you want me to sleep on the couch?" I asked, trying to not make her uncomfortable. She bit her lip, contemplating.

"It's up to you." She stated, heart racing. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, especially after what happened tonight.

I signed, deciding it would be more appropriate to not share a bed with her.

"I'll just sleep on the couch. Call me if you need anything."

"Ok." She agreed and walked towards her room. Her face looked slightly upset as she came back with a pillow and blanket. Did she want me to sleep in her room with her?

"Goodnight, Edward." She whispered as she turned off the light. "Thank you again for everything."

I lied down on the couch, pretending to get comfy. "It was my pleasure. Sleep well, Bella." I replied back.

I could see the blush on her face even in the dark room, but she smiled and went into her room.

Now what was I supposed to do?

* * *

A few hours into her sleep, I heard her moving around on her bed, as if she was having a nightmare.

"Get off ME! NO!" she screamed, making me run to her room at an inhuman speed. I saw tears streaming down her face as I entered and I quickly went to her side.

"Bella, wake up." I soothed, gently shoving her so she would wake.

She gasped when she saw me, almost terrorized. Her breathing staggered, but her tears didn't stop.

"I'm sorry. I was having a nightmare…about _him_." She breathed, trying to steady herself. It broke my heart to see her in pain. I lied down on the bed beside her. I wanted to kill him.

"Shhh, Bella. It's ok. I'm here." I soothed her more, wrapping my arms around her protectively as I rubbed her back. She turned her face into my chest, crying more as she let her emotions out. One of her arms wrapped around my abdomen, causing me to shiver. I was surprised she wasn't in shock before when it all initially happened. It was normal for her to feel like this.

I placed my lips in her hair, kissing her lightly, as I breathed in her scent. Eventually she stopped crying and I heard her breathing even out. Unable to move, I decided it was best to stay where I was. I couldn't deny that I liked being here better than "sleeping" on the boring couch.

She didn't wake up again throughout the night, but she did whisper something in her sleep that could have been meant for anyone, yet my dead heart fluttered to life when I heard it.

"Love you." She whispered.

* * *

Things are starting to get better for Bella and Edward. It might seem weird that she's trusting/accepting him when he's supposed to be dangerous, but her instincts tell her otherwise. Also, their love is different than the average human's so don't kill me for throwing the word around! She'll eventually find out what he is soon. Please review! Has my writing style improved at all?


	11. Chapter 11

Bella's POV

I had the most miraculous dream. Edward had kissed me for the first time and spent the night with me. I wanted to relive it, but the daylight in the room pulled me out of my slumber, telling me to wake up. Something cold also traced my arm, my neck, and my face, causing me to shiver.

My eyes slowly opened to be met with a pair of golden ones. It wasn't a dream after all. Edward actually stayed with me.

I blushed, suddenly remembering everything that had occurred in reality, even the memory of when I kissed him for the first time.

Kissing Edward was intoxicating. Bryce's kisses made me want to barf compared to Edward's. It surprised me how nice his lips felt against mine, even though they didn't' feel like soft like a human's. I was so overcome with desire that I wanted to continue our little make out session. I felt like a new woman after the experience. I could never get enough of it.

I liked that Edward was here to comfort me. It felt right being close to him.

Becoming aware of my surroundings, I noticed I had slept with my head on his chest all night along with my arm wrapped around him. I was still wearing his jacket-his scent had put me to sleep before. I noticed he looked just as perfect as last night, wearing the same clothes.

His expression looked blissful as I recalled everything that had happened previously.

"Good morning." He whispered to me, blowing his sweet breath in my face. He didn't even have morning breath.

"Hi." I replied, trying to not breath out of my mouth to spare him the torture. I had never had a guy sleep over before, so this was all strange to me.

I sat up, stretching. "How long have you been awake?" I asked him, feeling bad when I looked at the clock. I had slept in longer than usual.

He looked amused and held back a smile. "Oh, just a couple of hours."

I ran a hand through my hair and rubbed my eyes.

"Oops." I muttered, feeling bad.

"It's alright, I wasn't too bored. Your unconscious mutterings kept me company." His smiled widened more.

My eyes bulged in horror as I blushed. Renee used to always say I talked in my sleep. I didn't even think about it before. Who knows what I said! He probably thought I was insane if I said anything about him.

A cold hand cupped my cheek as I turned to look away, feeling embarrassed.

"Don't worry. It wasn't anything too bad." He tried soothing me.

 _Too bad?_

Now I was even more nervous. "What did I say?" I asked, heart racing.

He contemplated his words as he pursed his lips.

"You scolded a person named _Renee_ a few times, telling her to not leave the oven on." he began, "But you also said my name a few times."

 _NO!_

"Ugh that is so _embarrassing_!" I yelled, hiding my face in my hands, but it was hard with Edward's hand still on my cheek.

I bet he thought this was hilarious. "Who is Renee?" he questioned, changing the conversation.

"My mom." I mumbled still mad my unconscious mind betrayed me.

"Don't be upset about it, Bella. I didn't mind hearing my name." he whispered as his strong arm went around me, pulling me close to him again. I swear I felt his lips in my hair just like last night at the park.

I groaned, still not showing my face.

He chuckled, and I decided to get up so I could brush my teeth. I wiggled out of his grasp and he surprisingly let me. I hopped off the bed and turned around to see Edward watching me. His feet dangled off the end of the bed because he was so tall. He had one arm behind his head and I could see the muscles in his arm. I licked my lips and spun back around to head to the bathroom. After I was done brushing my teeth, a cold hand gripped my waist and spun me around.

Edward stared into my eyes, his face just inches away.

"Will you go to dinner with me tonight?" Edward asked, blowing his sweet breath in my face. The butterflies in my stomach seemed to be flapping vigorously at the moment because I couldn't concentrate on anything else.

He waited for my response, but I couldn't speak. So I just nodded my head, smiling profusely.

"Ok, I'll pick you up at 7. Wear your fanciest attire." He told me, and I felt panicked. I didn't want him to leave just yet.

Suddenly my phone rang, making me jump. Edward let go of me as I went to retrieve it. I wanted to die when I read the caller ID. I felt my stomach suddenly get sick.

I swear I heard Edward growl when he read the name too.

"I'm gonna end things with him." I told Edward and he nodded. We walked to my living room couch and I answered the phone on the last ring.

"Bella?" Bryce whispered into the phone, sounding distraught. Edward was watching my expression like he was observing a science experiment. He looked tense and uncomfortable. I placed my hand in his to hopefully soften him a little.

"Don't try apologizing." I told him, upfront. "I don't want to hear it."

His breath sounded ragged through the other line. "What happened last night, Bella? I woke up covered in my own vomit and I broke the wall apparently. Did I hurt you?" he asked me, trying to play off his rape attempt like he didn't remember.

"I can't be with you anymore Bryce, we're done." I replied, ignoring his stupid questions.

"But I don't even remember what I did Bella! Please don't leave me!" he pleaded and Edward's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not changing my mind."

"Bella think about all the great times we've had together. You're just going to throw it all away?" he asked, sounding like he was about to cry. I pursed my lips, thinking back at our memories.

"They were only enjoyable because I had Jacob and Angela there, Bryce. We weren't right for each other." I confessed to him, realizing why I didn't want to be close to him before. I was once blind, but Edward made me see.

"I can't believe you're saying this! You're breaking up with me over the phone?! Everyone said you left with Edward Cullen last night. Is he the reason you won't sleep with me? I'll kill him!" Bryce yelled into the phone. I didn't say anything because I was outraged.

"So that's the reason, huh? You were too busy being a slut with him?" Bryce asked. I felt tears forming in my eyes. I was about to scream back, but Edward grabbed the phone out of my hand.

"Hello Bryce." Edward began. "Yes, this is Edward Cullen."

I heard Bryce yelling on the other line, throwing curse words towards him.

"Bella is in better hands now. If you do as so come near her or even try calling her again, I will leave you in worst shape then I did last night. Bella doesn't want to be associated with filth like you."

Edward hung up the phone and handed it back to me. My mouth hung open at his words. I was so relieved he put Bryce in his place.

"Thank you." I whispered to him.

"I won't let anyone hurt you." Edward replied back, running his thumb over my hand.

* * *

Edward had gone home shortly after Bryce called so he could shower and change. He didn't kiss my lips again, but he did kiss my hand before he left.

I slumped down on the couch in my living room, feeling completely altered. So much had happened in a short window of time. Just a day ago I was Bryce's girlfriend. Now I was going on a date with Edward Cullen. The same Edward Cullen whose eyes used to taunt me for months. I now knew about one of his secrets, trusting him more.

I believed him when he said that he could read minds. Most people wouldn't have bought his story. My mother used to say that I was gullible, but everything made sense when I thought about it. He always seemed to know where I was and showed up at the right times. He knew about Bryce before even meeting him.

Was it true that he couldn't read my mind though? I pondered if he just said that to not embarrass me, but I didn't pick up any hints that could make me think otherwise.

I wanted to know his other secrets too. I wanted to figure out why his skin was so hard and cold, why his eyes changed colors, why he was able to slam Bryce through a wall with one arm. Everything fiction started becoming real for me. It was hard to grasp.

I couldn't tell anyone about him either. I didn't want to tell my mom and dad why I ended things with Bryce. And I couldn't talk about it to Jacob because he hated Edward. Angela was stressed out as it is, I didn't need to add more to her plate.

I sighed, leaning back into my couch, not wanting to get ready just yet. But then the thought occurred- what was I going to wear?

Edward had said to dress nice, but I didn't own anything fancy. I ran to my closet, examining the contents. There was absolutely nothing that could pass as fancy!

I sank down to the floor, trying to decide if I had enough time to run to the mall. The clock told me I only had three hours until it was time for him to come. I groaned because I still needed to shower.

Just as I thought my life was over, my buzzer went off, signaling someone was downstairs, trying to get in.

"Who is it?" I asked through the call box. What if Edward was here already?

"Special delivery for Miss Swan. I was directed to hand it to you personally." An unfamiliar voice replied back.

I buzzed him in, wondering if Charlie had sent me something in the mail.

I opened my door, being met face to face with a deliveryman, holding a box wrapped in elegant paper. He had me sign his clipboard before he huffed off.

There was no return address written on it, so I ripped open the wrapping paper and opened the box. There was a small note on top.

" _Wear this tonight. You'll thank me later_." -Alice Cullen

Alice Cullen? Edward's sister?

Being confused, I pulled out a dress, a sapphire diamond necklace, and even matching shoes out of the box. I was in awe.

The dress was deep, midnight blue that matched the sapphire necklace. The sequins on it dazzled in the light. It may have been too short for my taste, but I still loved it. I picked up the necklace, hoping they weren't real diamonds. I would have to return them if they were. The shoes were silver, but had tiny rhinestones on it as well. The heels were short enough for me to walk in.

How did Alice Cullen know I would need this? Maybe Edward put her up to it.

* * *

Aw the next chapter will be great! I think I will have Edward reveal his secret to Bella after the next chapter. I already have that chapter written! Thank you for the reviews! Please let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

Edward's POV

I ran through the forest near my home, thinking about Bella. All night long Bella had whispered my name in her sleep. I didn't understand how she found my body comfortable, but I was delighted when she didn't move away.

Sometimes she would move her hand down my body, leaving a burning trail where her hands touched. I sat very still as she did this because it was testing my control. I wished I could lie beside her without trying to fight off the thoughts of the monster in my head. Since Bella was lying right on my chest, I could not only hear her heartbeat, but it vibrated through my body. The sound of it comforted me, because it meant she was alive.

All night long, I caressed Bella's face and traced the veins beneath her delicate skin. I couldn't believe such a beautiful creature was mine…well she was mine until I told her the truth.

I sighed at the thought. Surely Bella knew I wasn't human by now. I was too close to her. She got to get a glimpse of whom I actually was. It didn't make sense that she still was comfortable being near me without knowing the truth. She also trusted me when I didn't deserve it.

I thought it was best to hunt again today before our date. I didn't want to take any chances. Yesterday had gotten me very excited. I thanked god for giving me so much control when I kissed her. It saddened me to think that I wouldn't be able to go any further though. My mind would surely give over to my senses, making me incapable of controlling the monster.

I drank enough animal blood to satisfy the monster for now. I ran back home, but stopped when my phone started to ring.

I answered it without even glancing at the caller ID.

"I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" Alice yelled through the phone. Her high-pitched voice could make a vampire go deaf.

"I'm surprised you didn't call earlier." I mused, chuckling. It was nice being able to express my emotions for Bella to someone in my family.

"You're lucky I have a good poker face! I got the vision of you two kissing when I was with the entire family. I shrieked so loud that they almost didn't believe me when I said it was about clothes." She replied.

I sighed because I would have to eventually tell them.

"You're going to just die when you see how beautiful Bella will look tonight. She's going to love where you're taking her." Alice told me. "And don't forget the flowers!" she added.

I actually couldn't wait to see how Bella looked. The restaurant I chose was pretty formal, so I wanted to make sure Bella knew beforehand. I would be just as happy to see her dressed in her usual jeans and t-shirt though. She always looked beautiful.

Alice continued rambling about what I should wear to impress her most and other things. I thought I wouldn't have enough time to get ready because I couldn't get her off the phone.

As 6 o'clock neared, I eventually got to hang up. I dressed in a suit, not wanting to overdress by wearing a tuxedo.

When I arrived at Bella's door, I rang her buzzer and she signaled me in. When she opened the door, my mouth fell open. Bella was wearing a deep blue dress that ended right above her knees. Her milky white legs made my eyes widen. I wanted to touch them. The neckline wasn't too deep on the dress, but it showed enough for me to be satisfied. The color of the dress went perfectly with her skin. I remember she wore a similar color on the first day of college. The dress also clung to her body, showcasing her curves. I had to fight back the growl in my chest.

Bella had curled her hair for the first time. She didn't wear any makeup, as usual, which made me happy. Her perfect pink lips were slightly parted as she took in my appearance as well. Her heart raced as her brown eyes did a tour of my body.

I noticed her sapphire necklace hanging elegantly from her neck and I narrowed my eyes. I could tell they were real diamonds. I also noticed the heels she was wearing were Alice's favorite brand, and they were something Bella probably couldn't afford.

That damn Alice. Bella didn't need to wear designer clothes to impress me.

* * *

Bella's POV

I normally wouldn't want to dress up for anyone, but I actually felt excited to for Edward.

Curling my hair was an annoying process. I wasn't going to do it originally, but my natural hair looked too boring with the dress I was wearing. Thank god Renee had taught me in the past how to style my hair. It may have been one of the few things I learned from her.

The dress fit me like a glove and I gasped when I put it on. It made my body look more mature. For once, I thought I looked better than average.

My heart raced when 7 o'clock neared. I was so nervous.

When I was alerted that he was here, my heart started pounding. I buzzed him in and opened the door.

I wanted to jump Edward right then and there. He looked so handsome that I almost fainted. Apparently adding a suit plus Edward Cullen together is the ultimate porn for a girl.

I loved that his hair held the same messiness and his golden-brown eyes seemed to stand out even more, contrasting against the black suit. He was my personal Adonis. My dreams about his appearance were clearly lacking detail, because his body in person was even harder to resist. I hadn't even notice he held a bouquet of flowers.

I examined them, trying to see what they were. I first noticed freesias, which symbolized innocence. Also in the mix were gardenias, which means "secret love". Then there were orchids, which meant "delicate beauty". And lastly I noticed the yellow tulips that meant "hopelessly in love".

I noticed his eyes trailed my body as I waited for him to say something.

He swallowed before he spoke. "You look beautiful." Edward whispered, walking closer to me. My breath hitched when I felt his cold hand on my waist. He took in a deep breath as he gently bent his head down to swiftly kiss me on the lips. I wanted him to kiss me harder, but he pulled away. I got lost in his eyes as they were filled with desire. It angered me that he didn't kiss me more when he seemed to want to.

My expression must have worried him because his face suddenly looked pained.

"Are you alright with me kissing you?" Edward asked me. "You never told me."

He always appeared to be thinking about my emotions instead of his own. I sighed because I would be alright if he did _more_ things to me. My body called to him.

"Of course it's alright. Why would you think that?" I asked him.

His eyebrows drew together. "Well, Bryce kissed you without your permission, so I just want to make sure this is what you want."

I winced at the thought. Edward was always such a gentleman.

"This is what I want." I assured him, placing my hand on his cheek.

His eyes closed as I enjoyed the electric contact with his skin.

When he opened his eyes, I thought he was going to kiss me again.

"These are for you." Edward said, handing me the flowers finally.

"Thank you, they're beautiful." I replied, taking in a big whiff. Once I had them in a proper vase, I turned back to Edward.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked me and I nodded.

He didn't tell me where we were going, and I started thinking of all the possibilities as we made our way downtown to Seattle.

He parked his car in a parking garage and led me to the restaurant.

Edward was always there to make sure I didn't trip as we walked through the city. I tried not paying attention to all the girls gawking at Edward as we walked. Edward must have sensed my jealousy, because he grabbed my hand, claiming me as his. It made me smile.

We didn't walk that far when he paused outside the entrance to the Space Needle.

I gasped in pure disbelief. I've always wanted to go the restaurant on top that rotates, giving you a view of the entire city as you eat.

"Shall we?" Edward asked, placing out his arm so he could walk me in. I placed mine in his, still in shock.

We had to take an elevator to get the top, and a hostess greeted us as we made our way in. She asked us if we had reservation, but Edward shook his head no. She was about to tell us that we couldn't be seated without a reservation until Edward mentioned his last name to her.

"Of course! I'll get you seated right away, Mr. Cullen. Follow me." She said almost too nicely. Was Edward's family that well known? Or just extremely wealthy?

There wasn't much privacy here, but we somehow got a table closest to the window that wasn't too close to anybody else. I gasped at the view, noticing how beautiful the city lights looked at night.

I looked down at the menu, wondering what I wanted. Everything seemed to be expensive so I tried looking at the appetizers instead, hoping they were cheaper. I had no luck finding anything cheap.

Waters were already at the table, but a sever came by and poured us both champagne.

"Welcome to SkyCity. I will be your server for the evening. Can I start you off with some appetizers, or are you ready to order?" the waiter asked us.

Edward looked at me for my response. I hadn't seen him look at the menu, but I finally picked something I wanted. "I'm ready to order if you are." I told him.

"Yes, I'm ready." Edward replied.

"For you, my lady?" The server asked me, while smiling. I swear I saw Edward suddenly glare at him. I hoped whatever was on the serve's mind was gracious.

"I'll have the foraged mushroom risotto." I told him. He didn't even write it down, which I thought was impressive. He then looked at Edward.

"I'll have the same." He said, handing the server our menus almost too fast.

"Right away." The server said, walking away.

"Bad thoughts?" I asked him, taking a sip of water. I could tell he was still annoyed because the worry lines in his forehead never smoothed out.

"Indeed." He replied, shifting his eyes to mine, "but I can't blame him for finding you attractive. You always take my breath away." He whispered, his smile finally returning.

 _Breath Bella!_

"You're kidding me, right?" I asked him, not believing this man with godly looks could think I deserved him.

"You clearly don't see yourself correctly. You see, as I should be enticed by the beautiful view outside, I can't find myself being the least interested when you're sitting before me."

I blushed, taking another sip of water. It was better to delude myself into thinking I was good for him rather than focusing on the negatives.

"At least you don't have to worry about the entire city of Seattle gawking at me." I told him, rolling my eyes.

His eyebrows drew together again as if he didn't know what I was talking about.

"You're the mind reader; you should be able to know that." I added.

He smiled then, shaking his head. "So tell me something, Bella." He started off. "Do _you_ find me attractive?"

I couldn't believe the lunatic was even asking this question. There wasn't single girl on the planet that would turn him down.

"I would hope so because I mentioned before that you were perfect…and that I like kissing you." I joked. "So it's pretty obvious that I find you _very_ attractive." It's like he needed reassurance every hour.

"But how can you trust me so much when you still don't know everything about me?" he questioned, changing the subject.

Suddenly, the server came by with our meals, interrupting us.

I tried holding back a laugh as Edward narrowed his eyes again at the waiter. I felt sympathy for the poor guy because I remembered how terrifying Edward's glare could be. The waiter noticed and didn't try talking to me again.

"Jeez, you probably terrified him." I scolded Edward.

"As you were saying." He reminded me, but I still didn't know how to answer his question.

"Well, I trust you because you've saved me on numerous occasions" I stated the obvious, picking up my fork. "And I just feel like I'm safe when I'm around you. You make me feel calm and happy." I confessed to him.

He didn't smile at this like I expected. "You shouldn't feel safe being near me." His tone changed.

"Why not?" I narrowed my eyes at him. This man was absurd!

"Because Jacob Black was right about me. I'm dangerous to be around." He said, sounding upset.

I shouldn't have even mentioned Jacob Black. That boy wasn't safe for me to be around either! I thought of all the dangerous things Jacob made Angela and I do because he thought they were "fun".

"Jacob Black is a child." I responded. "And I may not know much about you, but I can tell you one thing. You're good." I said, finally taking a bite of my food. I noticed that he didn't even touch his. Or his water.

"You're wrong." He replied curtly.

"Can we not talk about that right now?" I asked, annoyed he soured the mood with his depressing chatter.

"It's a subject we shouldn't ignore, but If you wish."

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

Sorry I had to cut you guys short! I have a lot of homework that needs to be done! So I apologize that I didn't get to the good stuff. Anyways, I have no idea if SkyCity is a formal restaurant, I just thought it would be more fun. What Bella ordered is something off their menu though. I will try updating tomorrow! Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

CONTINUED

I groaned, angry at his words. "Listen Edward, I'm gonna give it to you straight." I said, lowering my voice a little so no one could hear us " I know you're not human. And I don't care. I like you for you. Not for what you are. I will like you the same, if not more, when you're comfortable enough to tell me the truth. So you can choose to wallow in your sorrow or you can enjoy this great dinner we're having." I spat, plopping a mushroom in my mouth.

He looked lost for words as I continued to eat, not looking back up at him again.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. "I won't talk about it anymore. You're right. I should be living in the moment."

I glanced up at him and noticed he was moving the food around on his plate with his fork, yet he never took a bite. How strange. A sudden realization hit me that I never actually saw him eat anything before.

"So how about this champagne?" I asked, lifting my glass towards Edward, trying to get him to spill another secret to me.

"I don't drink." Edward replied, and his smile returned.

 _Yeah. You don't eat either._

"Neither do I. But we can't let it go to waste." I said, taking a sip. It didn't taste that bad, and I knew I wouldn't feel anything from one glass.

"Come on, just one sip." I tried persuading him.

His eyes narrowed as put the glass to his lips. It was as if he knew I was testing him. I watched him actually drink a small amount and then he placed the glass back down, swallowing. Hm…

"Satisfied?" he asked, hiding the disgust on his face.

I smiled, happy that my playful Edward had returned.

* * *

When the bill finally came, Edward grabbed the check before I could. I watched him throughout the entire dinner and he never once took a bite of his food.

I wondered if Edward had left the waiter a bad tip because of his thoughts about me. I really hoped not.

We walked back to the car, but suddenly Edward pulled me in a different direction.

I looked at the building he brought me to and wanted to die. A Nightclub? Seriously?

"Please don't make me." I begged. He knew I hated dancing.

"Well you made me drink earlier, so now it's your turn." He flashed his gleaming white teeth at me. "And besides, it's a lot classier than your average club. Just one dance." He urged me.

That little shit.

I groaned as he pulled me inside. The bouncer checked Edward's ID and didn't even ask to see mine. Edward must have a fake ID because I knew he wasn't 21.

We got in right away and I already hated the atmosphere. Yes, there wasn't a lot of skanky, drunk people running around, but girls were still grinding on guys left to right.

Edward pulled me onto the dance floor, and I thought I'd for sure trip with the shoes Alice had given me. I was actually grateful I drank the rest of my champagne earlier because there was no way I would have survived with my usual attitude.

I wasn't sure how to move my arms or body. I felt uncomfortable as everyone around me danced like it was easy.

Edward didn't seem to fit into this scene either since he was wearing suit after all. He pulled me close to him with his arms around my waist. I felt his hands travel to my hips and my heart sped. Edward swayed me back and forth, rocking us to the music. Somehow, he made me feel more calm when his hands were on me. The lights gleamed on his face, making it change colors. I felt lustful when Edward looked at me this certain way. I think he did too, because he suddenly spun me around so my back was to him. My breath hitched when I felt his body press against mine behind me. His arms were still wrapped around me as he gently placed a kiss on my neck. I was going to faint.

"Are you having a good time."? He cold breath blew into my ear.

"Surprisingly." I said, but my words got lost in the loud music. He seemed to hear me though as he started swaying us again. He was turning me on so bad.

I turned myself back around, not caring if anyone was watching.

Edward's eyes were black again for some reason, yet I didn't feel afraid. He leaned down and placed his lips against mine gently. This time, he let me kiss him a little harder as our bodies were pressed together. I heard him moan at one point when I ran my fingers through his hair. He seemed to like that.

We only pulled away when I couldn't breath any longer.

* * *

I must have fallen asleep in the car because Edward was suddenly carrying me back to my apartment door. He already had my key and everything form my purse.

"You can put me down, I can walk." I said, feeling self conscious that I was breaking his back.

"But I like carrying you." He said opening the door to the apartment.

I wasn't going to lie, I liked it to. He smelled so good. I tried to not pay attention to his hands on my body. I forgot I was wearing a dress.

He brought me to my bedroom and placed me on my bed.

"Will you stay again tonight?" I asked, pleadingly.

"Of course." He replied, smiling. "But you might need to change soon or else I won't be able to control myself any longer, Bella.

I smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Is my dress tempting?" I asked standing up, feeling unnaturally confident.

Within seconds, Edward was by my side.

"Shall I explain how you tempt me?" He asked gently moving so my back was to him again as he ran one hand down my waist and the other moving my hair away from my ear. His cold touch sent shivers down my spine. He leaned in, and whispered in to my ear "How lustful you make me feel…"

His breath blew in my face, making me feel dizzy.

Then he gently kissed my neck. "And don't get me started on how soft and warm your skin is…" he trailed off kissing up to my cheek. I couldn't help getting turned on. He was so good at seducing me.

"And you smell so good." I heard him slightly growl.

Fuck, I couldn't take it any longer.

I turned around and saw how black his eyes were, filled with lust. I decided to take a shot and go for it. I leaned in gently, and he locked lips with me, running his hand all over my body. I never felt this way before in my entire life.

We kissed passionately as I un-tucked his dress shirt and ran my hands up his chest. I heard him growl again as I lowered my hands right on his hard abdomen, feeling his abs. He pulled back from our kiss and carried me to the bed so fast; I was confused as to what was happening.

He got back on top of me and started kissing down my neck. I felt like I was going to faint. Areas on my neck still burned from where he kissed me. I felt his hand stroke my inner thigh and I could feel the heat building up in my sex. What a good day to wear a dress! His hands were so close to what I wanted most. I wanted him to do so many things to me.

I then decided I wanted to be on top of him, to try seducing him. He understood my gesture as he gently moved me so I was on top. I straddled him on his waist and I could feel his erection through his pants.

"Oh Bella…"he whispered my name, turning me on even more. I began kissing his neck, but a cold hand stopped me when I stuck my hand down his waistband of his pants.

I stopped kissing him and made a pouting face.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I just don't think we could do that right now." He apologized. I rolled off of him, feeling embarrassed.

God I was so stupid! I just threw myself at him!

The rejection was clear as he started re-buttoning his shirt. I was so embarrassed.

"I'm not saying not ever. Just not now." He whispered to me.

I couldn't look at him. I felt like I was going to cry.

"Bella." He pleaded. "Bella, please look at me."

When I didn't do what he asked, he grabbed my arms and laid me down on the bed as he leaned over me.

"I want to do these things with you, Bella. You make it so hard for me. But I can't do it when you don't know everything about me yet." He explained.

It was really all so stupid. Why couldn't he tell just tell me already so we could return to what we're doing seconds ago.

"Why can't you just tell me?" I asked him, annoyed.

He paused for responding. "I'm not actually allowed to tell you. I'm hoping you figure it out yourself." He admitted, which annoyed me more.

"Great." I mumbled, rolling my eyes.

"Come on, how about you change so we can go to bed. You have to be tired."

He was the master of changing topics. I held back a yawn.

"Do you want to help me change out of my dress?" I asked him, acting flirtatious.

"You're killing me." he growled, rolling over on the bed, hiding his face.

I felt smug knowing I at least turned him on too.

After I changed into pajamas, I cuddled up on the bed with Edward. I felt bad that he had nothing to change into.

I turned up the heat earlier on the thermostat because his skin was so cold.

"Sleep, Bella." He whispered to me, and I suddenly drifted into unconsciousness, dreaming about his hands again.

* * *

You all better love me and leave nice reviews for me to read in the morning because I stayed up till 2 am writing this little extra part for you all. I shall write more tomorrow. Edward is such a little devil. Him bringing her to the club to get back at her is totally something my boyfriend would make me do because he knows I hate social situations, lol. I usually end up enjoying it in the end though. Don't kill me for her drinking either! It was only one glass! I might be slightly losing my mind from the lack of sleep, but hopefully this chapter was enjoyable. Love you all :)


	14. Chapter 14

Edward's POV

As if Bella seducing me wasn't hard enough to resist, I heard her moaning my name all night, and I was surrounded by the smell of _her._ I wanted nothing more to give into her pleas, but I didn't want to do it yet before she knew the truth. I also didn't know if I'd be able to control myself as well.

All rational thoughts evaporated when she was pressed against me. Blissful emotions replaced them, as I wanted nothing more than to be even closer to her.

I used to believe you should wait until marriage for sex, but I didn't want to deny myself something we both wanted over some old biblical rule. I just hoped I would be able to give her it without harming her.

Last night was eventful at our dinner. Bella made me drink champagne. I could still feel it sloshing in my stomach. I winced at the thought of me having to throw it up later. It tasted horrid.

I hoped she wouldn't be too upset when I dragged her into the nightclub. I personally hated nightclubs because everyone's thoughts along with the loud music made my head hurt. When I was around Bella though, it was almost if all other distracting noises where silent. She was the drug for my headache.

I ended up leaving in the morning after Bella woke so she could have some time for herself to do her homework. I could tell she was disappointed, I was too, but it was best for her.

I called Alice when I went home to yell at her for sending Bella the clothes without my permission.

"You're an absolute idiot Edward! Bella didn't own anything nice. You should have brought her to a more casual restaurant if you didn't want me to send her anything. Have you seen her closet?!" she exclaimed.

I was suddenly gracious for Alice because I had been absurd for making her dress up.

She did look splendid in that dress though. I remembered how nice her body felt as I ran my hands down it…

"Oh, by the way, you can't go to class tomorrow or Tuesday." Alice chirped, pulling me back into the conversation.

"Why not?" I demanded, angry. I didn't want to be away from Bella when Bryce goes to the same college as her, knowing her schedule.

"It's supposed to be sunny both days." She said, acting like it wasn't a big deal. I groaned, annoyed by my inhuman skin.

Glittering was something I could do without.

* * *

Bella's POV

I finished all of my homework for the weekend, feeling satisfied.

Jacob called me around nine and my face lit up.

"Hey Bella!" he said into the phone.

"What's up Jake?" I asked, smiling. I missed him.

"Nothing much. Danielle and I are dating now." He said happily.

I knew it! "I'm so happy for you!" I told him.

"Yep. I asked her out on our last date. You'll have to meet her when you come home. How are you and Bryce?" Jacob asked me. I gulped, afraid to tell him.

"Bella?" Jacob called into the phone after I hadn't said anything for a while.

"I…broke up with him this weekend."

"Why?!" Jacob questioned, sounding saddened.

"Jacob, he tried…taking advantage of me at a party on Friday." I admitted, feeling uneasy as I brought it up.

"WHAT!? Why didn't you tell me sooner! I'm gonna kill him! Did you knock him out like I taught you?" he asked me.

I thought about the time Jacob taught me how to throw a punch. I ended up injuring myself instead.

"No. Someone else saved me." Shit. I shouldn't have said so much. Jacob was going to definitely question it.

"Who?" he asked, sounding suspicious.

I was terrified to tell him. He was going to surely yell at me. "Edward Cullen. "

He was silent for a while. "Why was he there?" he asked, sounding disgusted. Jacob was so close-minded. Edward and him had a lot in common.

"Because I asked him to." I snapped.

"Why?" he asked, confused. I guess it didn't make sense since the last time I talked to Jacob, I had sounded more afraid of Edward.

"Well we eventually talked in class and I got to know him better. Turns out he's actually really nice." I explained, hoping he would respect my wishes.

"The guy is still dangerous." Jacob dragged on.

"I wouldn't have been able to get away from Bryce if it weren't for him."

"Doesn't change anything." Jacob said, seeming more annoyed.

"He saved me. You can't still hate him." I coaxed.

"I can still not like him." He replied. I scoffed.

"Jacob, give me some answers! There's got to be some hint about the Cullens that you can tell me. I don't get why you despise them so much!"

"They're called the "cold ones" Bella. That's all I can tell you."

Cold ones? Is he a human popsicle or what?

Jacob wouldn't tell me more about them after that. He switched the topic back to Bryce as he was thinking of ways to get revenge. I told him it wasn't necessary. After a while, I said I was tired and we ended our call.

I was about to go to sleep when I got a text from Edward.

" _I regret to inform you that I can't make it to class tomorrow. See you Wednesday. Be safe_." –Edward

Every bit of happiness I felt disintegrated as I read the message. It made me sad that he didn't tell me why he couldn't make it.

Then I got another message from him.

" _Also, be sure to tell me if Bryce tries anything. Sleep well, Bella._ "

I hadn't even thought about Bryce! I hoped he would leave me alone.

I texted Edward back, trying to not worry.

" _Wish I could ditch, too. Goodnight, Edward."-Bella._

Monday was uneventful. It was finally sunny and I wished I could have shared the nice day with Edward. I hated going to my literature class without Edward. On the brightside, I actually paid attention for once. Bryce didn't try talking to me at all. I guess Edward's warning worked.

I thought all day long about what Jacob said. I tried thinking what "cold one" could mean. The term sort of fit Edward since his skin was so cold. I tried thinking of all supernatural creatures that would fit everything Edward was, but came up with nothing.

I hoped Edward would call me or something, but he didn't. That night, I had a dream about this place in the woods where Charlie once took me on the outside of Seattle. He liked going there to fish by the river. I remember he said it was his secret spot because he found it once going off trail. When you looked down the river, you got a beautiful view of the mountains. I dreamt I was there again, except this time Edward was with me.

The memory clung to my mind all day Tuesday and I was hoping Edward would call to distract me. He didn't though. My week started off boring, and I was craving adventure. Edward had made my life seem so dull when he wasn't around. I vowed to try finding that spot in the woods again.

Back in Forks, I used to go in the woods all the time near my house to read. I loved being around nature.

When my classes were over, I didn't head home. I drove down the highway to find the trail Charlie once took me on when I was younger. I remembered the name as I checked my map.

I pulled off to the side of the road when I saw it. I wasn't exactly positive if it was the right one, but I decided to check it out anyways. I pulled my pocketknife out of my glove box, just in case. I forgot Charlie had given it to me.

It was sunny again today too, and I couldn't wait to the find the spot by the river.

I headed down the trail, walking for what seemed like a long time until I neared the end. I tried recalling which way Charlie went before, but my mind was hazy.

I went left, walking deeper in the forest. The canopy of trees blocked the sun. Green scenery was all around me. I enjoyed the beauty of it. I didn't realize how long I had walked until I realized I had no idea where I was. I wanted to turn around, but I forgot which direction I had entered. I looked around, trying to find clues of my whereabouts.

I walked hopefully in the right direction for another hour, but I still didn't find my way back. I tripped a few times, but I actually fell down on my face when I didn't see a large root sticking up from the ground.

I quickly tried getting up when I heard it. A soft growl form the trees above me terrified me. I looked up to see a mountain lion perched on a tree. I didn't even know there were mountain lions around here! Shit!

I tried thinking of the instructions Charlie once told me when coming in contact with them. Did he say to not move? Or to try running? If I ran, I wouldn't be able to outrun it. I decided to just stay still.

I tried crouching down to hide, but this seemed to make the animal believe I was its prey. It sensed my fear. I pulled out my knife, ready to stab it.

Before I even had time to think, the animal, jumped down from the tree to attack me. I tried running from it, but there was no use. I tripped immediately, dropping my knife and I waited for my death.

* * *

Edward's POV

I decided to give Bella some space as I tried distracting myself from thoughts of her. I probably overwhelmed her with my presence this past weekend. I wanted to be near her so bad, but the stupid sun ruined everything.

I composed a new song on my piano Monday, and today I decided to hunt. I went a little bit further today to try scoring better game.

I snapped the neck of a buck, and pressed my teeth down into its neck when I suddenly smelled it. It was Bella's blood. Was I hallucinating? Or just going crazy for her all together? I couldn't stop breathing, and I was swept away by that mouth-watering scent, once again ten times harder than the first time I smelled her. I also heard a scream as I darted off into the forest.

Still dazed from hunting, I wanted to taste her. I wanted to feel her pulse beneath my teeth and sink them into her warm flesh….

" _EDWARD! Clear your head!"_ I told myself. She could be in danger.

Even though it ripped apart my throat, I inhaled deeply to follow her scent. Oh no. I also smelled the scent of a mountain lion. NO!

I finally arrived to the scene. Bella was on the ground, as the lion clawed at her, and she screamed for her dear life. I watched her eyes close in fear. She couldn't even shelter herself; it wasn't fair. I wanted to protect Bella. I dove straight for the mountain lion without even thinking. This stupid animal would not hurt my Bella! I wrestled it to the ground effortlessly and snapped its neck. I tossed it to the side, but then her scent engulfed me. I was on top of her in seconds, pinning her wrists to the ground. Her perfume coated everything around her, as she continued bleeding. Bella was on the ground, and her mouth was wide open in fear. Her eyes looked as though they would pop out of her head. She started backing away from me, but I pinned her down harder frenzied by that scent. She was bleeding just above her left breast and on the side of her leg. The smell of her throat so close...so luscious. Her heart called to me. Her blood whispered my name as it sent a blazing fire down my throat.

"Edward?!" She half-yelled, frantic and probably about to go in shock wondering why I was here, why I was suddenly attacking her. I snapped out of my frenzy, but couldn't move myself from her. I could see scarlet dripping everywhere.

"Don't move Bella." I said icily. Her scrambling to get away was causing her blood to rush faster out her leg. I felt her pulse hammering in fear. She kept blowing her sweet breath in my face, making it even more difficult. She was like a drug to me.

The smell of her fogged up head and made it impossible for me to think straight. My instincts told me to sink my teeth in her neck, but something warm sparked in my chest where my heart was. I had to protect her. This was _my_ Bella!

I slowly backed away from her and released her small, fragile wrists. I looked down at my palms to examine the blood on my hands. I quickly wiped it on my pants, trying to avoid the temptation of licking it off my fingers, one by one…She was holding her leg where it was bleeding as if she knew to not let me near it. I couldn't just leave her here, but I also knew it was going to be hard for me to help her. I would have to do the impossible though.

"Bella, what I am about to do is going to be rather difficult for me so I would appreciate it if you would not ask me any further questions." I told her in a calm matter.

She nodded, still breathing heavily. I put my arm underneath her and scooped her up into my cold arms before she could blink. Bella's chocolate eyes poured into mine as I tried my best to control my urges. Bella saw me effortlessly kill that dangerous mountain lion...well dangerous to humans anyway. She saw how strong I was. She saw the monster in me. I couldn't let her see how fast I needed to run. I also forgot it was sunny today.

 _Damnit!_

The woods did a good job hiding the sun, but I would glisten as soon as I got near my house.

"Bella, I need you to close your eyes." I instructed, without breathing and ran home with Bella in my arms.

* * *

Oh snap! Bella is going to find out what Edward is finally. I couldn't finish it because I have plans tonight. My boyfriend is getting impatient with me, haha. I didn't have time to revise this, so I might go back and change some things. Please leave nice reviews! Happy Friday!


	15. Chapter 15

Bella's POV

I couldn't comprehend what had just happened. One second, a mountain lion was about to have me for dinner, and the next thing I saw was Edward on top of me. And his face reminded me of the animal's. He looked angry, and dangerous. I felt an adrenaline rush and fear.

His strong, cold arms didn't feel normal, and what he did wasn't normal. The lion was dead in seconds and he didn't have any weapons with him. Did I miss something?

I felt a lot of pain in my leg and above my breast. I was bleeding tremendously quick. But that's not what made my stomach queasy.

Edward had told me to close my eyes. I was in his stone cold grip, with my face buried in his chest as he carried me. I had no clue where we were going, but I felt how fast we were moving through the forest. I was terrified. Suddenly, I felt him coming to a stop.

"You can open your eyes now." Edward said quietly, still carrying me. I almost gasped when I opened my eyes. I was inside the most gorgeous house I'd ever seen. I saw walls of white, with large portraits all over. They seemed to be old paintings. To the right was the living room with a gigantic flat screen TV and white couch sets. Other decorations were black and white. To the left was a kitchen that had the finest supplies you'd see in a magazine for home appliances. Everything in the house was beautiful. I also spotted a grand piano too.

Edward set me down on the couch, and I began to protest. "I don't want to get blood on anything." His couch must have cost more than my house.

He put his hands up to signal to me it was ok. "I'm not concerned."

Edward's face looked hostile during the entire process. I wasn't sure of what he was capable of.

He left the room for a second and came back with a medical kit. It looked as though he wasn't breathing. I didn't see his chest moving.

"Stay very still and try not to breathe very heavily," he commanded me.

I tried to become still as stone as he knelt down beside me. His scent washed over me and I almost passed out from the intoxicating smell. I began to study to study his perfect face and felt extremely self-conscious.

Edward didn't make eye contact with me as he suddenly ripped open the top of my shirt.

"Oh!" I gasped and Edward gave me a disapproving look. I blushed, and looked away, feeling stupid for thinking he was taking advantage of me. How else was he supposed to take care of my wound? Without looking at my exposed body, Edward put a blanket over my chest so he didn't disrespect me, I assumed.

"The shirt was ruined from the blood anyway. I'll buy you a new one. Press this against your leg." he coaxed and demanded, handing me a clean white towel. I did as he said and winced when I felt the rubbing alcohol being poured on my chest. I looked away as he quickly bandaged my wound. Sometimes Edward would stare at the wound, close his eyes, and then his eyebrows would furrow, as if he was struggling with something within him. I tried to give him privacy, but I was concerned. Maybe he gets sick from looking at blood. After some time, he moved to my leg and ripped open the jeans I was wearing. I expected the same burning this time, but it felt worse.

"...And a new pair of pants. Bella, I'm going to have to give you stitches." He said without expression. I closed my eyes when I felt the blood trickle down my leg.

He knows how to give stitches? That isn't some skill you pick up learning first aid.

"Do I need to go to a hospital?" I asked, mortified. Hospitals were not my thing.

"I'm fairly certain I can do it. It will be faster this way. I used to work at a hospital for a short time." he told me, his gold eyes fixed on my leg. I gulped. So did he.

When the hell did he work at a hospital? It seemed he was capable of doing anything. He disappeared again and came back with more supplies. I looked away as he went to work. All I heard was _plink plink plink_. I tried to not think about it. I knew I would pass out looking at my own blood. The smell of it was revolting enough.

He moved way too fast for a beginner and sometimes I swear I couldn't see his hands moving.

I made the mistake of letting out a large breath, exiting through my mouth. When it hit Edward, I saw the frenzy return in his eyes.

He growled and dropped the medical equipment. I couldn't quite remember what happened, but somehow the couch was tipped backwards and Edward was on top of me. The blanket covering myself was no longer there, and Edward had me straddled to the floor. I screamed in terror, realizing I was about to die.

"Edward, stop! What are you doing?!" I yelled frantically and struggled against his stone grasp. My arms were hurting from his force and his face was bent down to my neck. He was a dark angel, nonhuman. I felt his tongue press against my throat and I suddenly felt faint. He lost control of himself. It all made sense to me now. I realized what he was. He wasn't uncomfortable because the blood made him feel faint. He was uncomfortable because it made him hungry.

The term "cold one" now made sense. Edward Cullen was a vampire.

All I remember was him backing away and his gold eyes staring into mine in shame.

"I'm so sorry Bella." He whispered.

* * *

Edward's POV

I began stitching her leg, not breathing. I tried to concentrate on her wellbeing instead of the sweet pull of her blood. I didn't want to be a monster. I wanted to be someone who could take care of her. I had to do this.

The wound was very exposed and I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. Bella was exposed as well with her shirt being gone. I couldn't keep my eyes from looking, but I made sure Bella never noticed. Her soft skin was so fragile, and I didn't want to hurt her. I had to be careful. This skill was something I was grateful Carlisle taught me.

I wasn't sure how I had the control to do it.

Just when I was almost finished, Bella's warm breath rushed over my face, and I accidentally breathed in, without thinking, lured by the warmth. Her scent beckoned me, and the monster was alive once more.

In seconds, I was lost again. I dropped the medical equipment and tackled her over the couch. Her blood made it impossible for me to think. No drug addiction could compare. I straddled her to the ground, her warmth below me. I needed to drink her blood.

"Edward, stop! What are you doing?!" Bella shouted in terror.

She was taunting the monster more by blowing her warm breath even more over me. My predator instincts weren't the only thing taking over my body. Bella's soft breasts, held together in her bra, were exposed in front of me. Her warmth below me, struggling against my body, was a new temptation. With all of these lusts combined, I leaned down and pressed my tongue against her throat. The taste! It was the best taste in all of my existence. I wasn't even drinking her blood, yet her skin tastes so divine.

Suddenly, Carlisle appeared in my mind.

" _Do what is right, Son."_ he told me, and my hallucination snapped me back into reality.

Bella looked at me in fear and I looked back into her eyes, feeling ashamed. My heart ached when I realized my actions.

"I'm sorry Bella." I said, beginning to move off of her, forcibly, but then her eyes began to close.

Did I kill her? No, no, her heartbeat assured me. Did I push against her too hard? I looked down at her wrists and released my grip. She had red marks where my fingers were placed before. No. No. NO! What had I done? I hurt her!

What is the matter with me? Why am I so evil? How did I manage to hurt the girl who gave me a reason to live?

Maybe she just fainted or went into shock? Yes, That must be it.

"Bella?" I asked and got no response. "Bella, if you're awake, please look at me. I'm sorry, I won't hurt you. I promise." I cried, hating myself.

Still nothing. I couldn't leave her here on cold ground. I decided to pick her up, but again I was scared to do her any more harm.

I gently carried her bridal style to my bedroom and tried to avoid looking at her body any further. I retrieved my medical equipment and hurriedly finished what I started. Luckily, I didn't slip up again. After bandage wrapping her leg gently and wiping away the rest of the blood, I grabbed some of my clothes to change her into. My silk pajamas were pretty large on her, but they did the trick. My fingers lingering on her skin sent electric pulses through my body just like before. She was so soft. The feeling was exhilarating. I couldn't begin to imagine how her exposed body would feel pressed against mine. But I didn't deserve it anymore. I never did.

The fox had finally attacked the innocent, defenseless rabbit. That was two strikes now.

I sat down with Bella on the bed and waited for her to wake up. What would I tell her?

" _Oh sorry Bella, I'm just a blood-crazed demon who almost drank your blood. I do hope you can forgive me._ " Yeah right. I'm a monster. I couldn't put her through this ever again. She deserved to find someone normal.

Bella was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, even asleep. I restrained myself from touching her face. I did enough damage.

I couldn't believe I almost killed her. Again. I needed to leave to her or else I was going to hurt her again. I couldn't believe myself.

Suddenly, Bella's breathing accelerated and she began opening her eyes

* * *

Bella's POV

I felt extremely dizzy and dazed when my eyes began to open. I couldn't tell if I was dead or just really confused. I instantly felt the pain from my injuries earlier and I winced, remembering what had happened. And then fear settled in me. Edward had almost killed me. And I realized he was a vampire.

When I opened my eyes, two golden orbs stared at me and I jumped from surprise. His expression had returned to sincere and I suddenly began to contemplate if I had made up his attacking in my head. He was always two different people.

"What happened?" I asked, needing answers.

Edward's face twisted, as though it pained him to speak. "After I...jumped on you...you fainted." he informed me, eyes looking down. "I am tremendously sorry about that. I wasn't in control. I shouldn't have done the stitches myself. I'm so stupid." he blubbered to me, still looking upset. His lips formed a tight line. His answer still confused me.

I shifted in the bed I realized I was in, and shook my head. "It's alright. I almost die all the time. It's no biggy." I said, shaking it off. I began to examine my navy blue, satin pajama's I was in and felt uncomfortable wearing someone else's clothes.

"No, it is big deal. Your life was almost ended because of my imprudent idiocy." he trailed off, looking into my eyes. I gulped and started feeling faint again. His face was so beautiful in the lowly dimmed room.

"And here you sit as if what just happened was normal. You should be running away from me. You should feel afraid." He continued, torment etched on his face.

"I'm not afraid of you." I assured him and he scoffed.

"You should be. I shouldn't have even come into your life. I should've stayed away. I should've-" I cut him off, placing a finger to his lips.

I couldn't take his self-brooding any longer.

"Listen to me, Edward Cullen. What you are…we can get through it. Together. I don't want you to leave me." I interrupted him.

He looked angry at my words as he stood up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That's just it, Bella. You don't know anything about me! You don't realize how difficult it is for me to just be around you. Every second the monster in me wants to hurt you. Can you please open your eyes? Look at the marks on your arms from me! I am not good. Don't lie to me!" He yelled, pacing back and forth.

My arms did hurt a little, but it felt like I just did a really tough workout on them or something. I avoided looking at them because I knew it would make the situation worse. He couldn't help what he did; it was an accident. I was going to admit though, his gaze was a bit terrifying when he was angry, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me.

I stood up too, wincing at the pain in my leg.

"You just saved my life from a freaking mountain lion, Edward! And you also saved me from almost getting raped! Don't you dare tell me that you're bad!" I screamed back, angry.

"I'm more dangerous than a pathetic mountain lion. There isn't anyone who will save you from me!" he roared back me. Now he ticked me off.

"Edward, I _know_ what you are. I _know_ what you're capable of. I _know_ it might be considered dangerous. But you know what? That doesn't matter to me, because I'm already in too deep. I'm already attached to you. You cannot turn away from me now. I won't allow it. You want to know why, Edward? Because I love you. I can't explain why, but I've always felt it. Call me crazy all you want, but you've been on my mind since the first time I saw you in high school. Even when I thought you despised me. You're everything to me. If you left now, I wouldn't know what do with myself." I confessed my love to him. I felt the tears coming as my lips trembled on my last words.

Edward came to my side and wiped away one of my tears. His face held agony as he embraced me, ashamed. I threw my arms around him, comforted by his closeness. I just wanted him to see who he truly was. I just wanted him to be happy.

"What am I?" he whispered into my hair.

My face was buried in his chest, breathing in his scent to prepare me for my words.

I hesitated before I put the truth out. "A vampire." I replied, not moving away from him.

He didn't say anything for a while, but eventually he spoke. "I love you too, Bella."

* * *

I loved writing this chapter. Can't wait to get to the hanky-panky soon. How much details do you guys want? Please keep reviewing to motivate me! I take a lot of time out of my day to write. So when you review, it lets me know that you care about this story. Thank you so much for everyone who already has! You're the real MVPs!


	16. Chapter 16

Edward's POV

Bella told me she loved me. And it wasn't just her unconscious ramblings this time. She meant it. I saw the true passion in her eyes as she inexplicably shared what was on her veiled mind. I understood now why humans chose love to write about in all of their repetitious songs. I know understood why individuals would weep if they didn't hear the word spoken back to them.

"I love you" was no longer a term I heard humans say to one another when they share emotions with someone. It wasn't a constant reminder that I was alone anymore. It wasn't a word I felt envious hearing when my siblings whispered it to their mates. Instead, it lit up my life like a wildfire, invigorating foreign emotions, rendering me breathless. Bella awoke my dormant human self, taking off the shackles on his wrists and finally let him put the monster in his place. I watched the words tremble on her lips, and the stars that sparkled in her brown eyes hypnotized me.

Her three simple words made me want to apologize to Carlisle for cursing him in the past, and blaming him on my unhappiness. I was changed so I could wait a lifetime to finally meet my soul mate. Bella Swan was my reason for life that I had been searching for decades. She was my home.

She accepted me for what I couldn't control. She accepted the monster. I repeated the words back to her after she told me what I was. I never thought I'd say those words to anyone.

I layed on the bed, placing my head in her lap as she stared down at me. I closed my eyes when she began tracing my face with her fingertips, sighing at her touch. I reached for one of her wrist and pressed it to my nose. Her scent burned in the back of my throat, but I didn't want to deny myself the pleasures of her perfume. Excitement buzzed throughout my frozen body when she massaged my head, running her delicate fingers through my hair.

When I opened my eyes, Bella looked blissful. She seemed like she was contemplating something in her mind.

"What's on your mind?" I asked her, curious. She bit her lip in response.

"I was just thinking that I don't want you hide yourself from me anymore. I want to see what you can do." She responded innocently.

I grew excited to open myself up to her, but it also terrified me a little.

"I imagine you have a lot of questions." I replied, wondering what she was thinking again.

"Only a million or two."

I chuckled and sat up from the bed. "Would you like me to show you now or wait until you feel better? You _were_ attacked several times today." I questioned and informed her.

She rolled her eyes. "I think I can handle it."

She was a kitten who saw herself as a courageous tiger in the mirror. I tried not to laugh at the thought.

"Ok, I'll show you. But first answer my question. Why were you walking around the woods alone in the first place, Bella?" I questioned with concern. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if I wasn't there. That could never happen again.

She blushed, pressing her lips in a tight line. "I…uh, wanted to find this spot my father took me to once when I went fishing with him." She admitted.

 _That_ was her reason? Couldn't she have waited? Did she act on impulse without thinking over anything?

"Why would you go alone? You do understand how large these forests are, right?" I asked, puzzled.

She lifted her shoulders, like a child who just caught eating a cookie before dinner. "I don't know. It was stupid. My head wasn't on right."

I couldn't agree more.

"Promise me you won't go in the woods alone ever again." I demanded.

She narrowed her eyes at me, suspicious suddenly.

"Why were _you_ in the woods alone?" she asked, distracting me.

I never thought over the fact that Bella probably thought I preyed on humans still. Her trust in me made me question her sanity.

"I was hunting." I replied truthfully.

Her eyebrows drew together at my response, unsatisfied. "I don't understand."

"What do you think my diet is?" I asked her.

She stared at me blankly like she never thought about it before. I watched her face turn even more pale, finally getting a response of fear out of her.

"Um…blood?" she responded, unsure. I listened as her heart began to race.

"Well that's stating the obvious." I said bluntly.

She looked down at her hands, not knowing what to say. I sighed, deciding to just explain it myself.

"I hate what I am, Bella. So no, I don't drink blood from humans. I'm what some would consider a vegetarian vampire. I survive on the blood of animals. " I confessed, looking into her eyes.

"Is everyone in your family a vegetarian?" she asked, curious.

"Yes, they are." I said shortly. I didn't feel like going to the details of my family. That would be for another time.

Her heart rate slowed at my words and she took in a calming deep breath.

"Well, it's a bit relieving to know that I'm not considered your entrée for the evening." She joked.

"That doesn't mean that I don't still crave human blood though. Animal blood is unsatisfyingly dull compared to a human's." I scoffed. How would I explain my thirst to her?

"About that…do I appeal to you more than the average human?" she asked. So perceptive.

I searched for the words to say as she stared at me. "Tremendously."

She picked up one of my hands and ran her fingers over my cold skin.

"So that's why you hated me." Her gaze shifted to my hands.

"Hate is a strong word. I would say I despised you because your overpowering scent was practically taunting me to drink your blood. Then when I ran, to protect you, you showed up again, as if it were meant to be. I thought you were sent to ruin my life. You don't understand the restraint it took me to not take you right then and there." I said truthfully.

She remained silent, absorbing the information.

"But there was always something about you that pulled me out of my bloodlust. When I left the first time, your face came across my mind everyday."

She ran her fingers through her hair, marveled at my words. "Wow."

"So you can imagine why I went rigid in my seat when you bit your lip too hard in class, or why I attacked you earlier." I continued, letting all of my secrets pour out.

"Can you explain why I smell…better than others?" she asked cautiously.

Where do I even begin? I took in a breath of her scent to paint the picture for me.

"Every once in a while, a vampire will come across someone who will smell better than the rest. You were the first one I ever encountered." I began. "I never got an explanation for it. Every single time I take a breath near you, it feels like someone is sticking an iron down my throat, but yet I still enjoy it. Your scent is very floral. Like freesias." I explained to her.

She looked pained as I said this. "I don't want to hurt you. Why do you stay around me if you're always in pain?" she asked, confused.

"Silly Bella. I've already told you. I love you. You yourself is what makes me stay around you. I deny my senses of what they want because my life revolves around you."

Her eyes widened as she nodded, understanding.

"Would you like to go for a run with me?" I asked her finally.

* * *

Bella's POV

It was easier now to piece together everything as I took in all the information Edward told me. I should have felt afraid, yet I didn't.

It was relieving knowing he felt the same love for me that I expressed. I was scared I said the words too fast for the average relationship. Then again, our relationship wasn't anything close to being average or normal.

"Would you like to go for a run with me?" he asked me abruptly.

I laughed at the thought of me running with Edward. "You have seen me walk, right?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. " _You_ will not be running. I will be." He explained, yet I was still confused.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bed. I was so distracted by him that I hadn't even realized one side of his room was made of glass. It had a door too that led out to a balcony. He opened the door, pulling me outside. The sun was hidden behind the clouds now, making me sad. At least it wasn't raining.

I was confused why he would be running if I weren't. And why were we on his balcony?

I gasped when I looked at the view. I could see the mountains clearly now, as a river departed the trees. I wondered if this was the same river Charlie took me to.

I also noticed a man-made pond in their yard too. It was beautiful.

"Climb on my back." Edward commanded me as he knelt down. I was a little hesitant to do so. I also felt uncomfortable going anywhere wearing pajamas. I felt like Wendy in Peter Pan heading off to Neverland.

"I apologize in advance if I make you throw out your back." I warned, climbing up on him. I winced when I felt the pain in my injuries, but I had to toughen up. I tried to not get too excited as my body was pressed to his.

"Ha! You're lighter than a feather." He yelled, as he suddenly jumped off the balcony in seconds, terrifying me. I screamed as he landed gracefully on his feet and sped off into the woods.

* * *

Sorry the chapter got cut short. I wasn't in the mood to write today because my boyfriend are I are going through a tough time. I don't have anyone to talk to about it and it sucks. I might write again and post another chapter late tonight or tomorrow if I feel like it. Thank you for everyone who has reviewed. Please keep reviewing to motivate me! I'm feeling lonely :(


	17. Chapter 17

Bella's POV

I was not expecting Edward to be so fast. I had to close my eyes at first because the speed terrified me. I thought we were going to hit a tree every second. I just wanted him to slow down a little.

He came to an abrupt stop finally and it knocked the wind out of me. My cut above my breast was hurting because I had clutched my body to be him so hard in fear that I would fall off his back.

I stepped down from his back, wincing again when I had to stand. The pain in my leg was suddenly intensifying more when I thought about it. I didn't even think about taking painkillers.

Edward noticed my reaction because he gently grabbed my hands and pulled me down on the ground beside him.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, eyes wary.

I nodded, trying to be brave as I took in the scenery around us. I gasped when I noticed where we were.

It was the place Charlie had taken me as a kid. We were at the edge of the blue river, sitting on the soft ground beside it. Rocks were on the very edge, and it appeared that they almost formed a bridge to cross the water. When you stared down the stream, you could the mountains better than before at Edward's house. I turned around behind me to see if the wild flowers still grew in the small opening besides the woods. Purple and white flowers decorated the ground just like before.

I stood back up, walking towards the flowers, remembering the fun I had as I tried catching butterflies while my dad fished. I remember at one point, I asked my dad to use his pocketknife so I could carve my name in one of the trees. I still had a scar on my pointer finger when I handled the knife wrong. I remember sticking my hand in my pocket, trying to hide my wound so my dad wouldn't know. I wanted to seem responsible.

I looked around and found the right tree. It was much higher up than before, but I could still see the poorly carved "Bella" etched in the wood. I ran my fingers over it, feeling nostalgic.

"Is this the place?" Edward asked me, suddenly at my side. He looked at the carving on the tree as though he just had an epiphany.

I nodded and he replied, "That's so strange. I noticed that before, but I never thought much of it. What a small world."

I watched as he lifted his hand to the tree, but I couldn't see what he was doing. When he removed his hand, I noticed he had wrote "+ Edward" along with a heart on the tree in elegant script underneath my name. How did he use his hand to do that? Maybe with his fingernail?

"I always wanted to do that when I was human." He laughed, smiling brilliantly.

I then realized what he said seconds ago. "You've been here before?" I asked.

He suddenly pulled me down on the ground again, probably concerned about my leg hurting me.

"Yes. There's a meadow in Forks that reminds me of it as well. I come to these places when I wanted to get away from my siblings or humanity in general for a while. I never had to hear anyone's thoughts here." He explained.

"You lived in Seattle before?"

His lips formed a tight line like he didn't want to give away too much information. I stared up at him with understanding eyes. I wanted him to share every detail of his life with me.

"We have to move around a lot. Seattle is one the places we've come to in the past. Carlisle owns a lot of homes around the U.S. where it is always cloudy." He told me, which brought on more questions.

I forgot about the whole concept that vampires burned in the sun. Edward was outside today when it was sunny…I hadn't seen him in the actual sun myself, but he definitely didn't act afraid of it.

I also wondered just how many times he _did_ move around. How old was he and his family?

"How old are you?" I suddenly asked.

He sighed and looked down at the ground. I could tell he didn't want to tell me. "Well, I'm frozen at 19 forever, but I was born in 1899."

 _Holy shit!_

My brows lifted and I stifled my gasp. I was not expecting that.

"Hmm. I never thought I'd be into old guys. Must have been from all the times Charlie and Renee made me visit the nursing home when I was younger." I joked, remembering visiting Grandma Swan frequently.

Edward gave me a disapproving look, which made laugh more.

"So how did you become like this?" I asked him, referring to his inhuman body.

Edward explained how he got sick from the Spanish influenza in Chicago where he grew up. When his family died, Carlisle had decided to change him. He left out the details of that part, but he said it was extremely painful. The way he described made it seem like it happened yesterday. He had an exceptional memory. He then told me how his family joined him and Carlisle.

All of this new information was so overwhelming. I felt like it was stories from a fiction book. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that everything I believed in was a complete lie before. That some fairytales do exist.

It definitely wasn't normal for me to be so accepting of this, but maybe it hadn't actually hit me yet. Perhaps I would have a breakdown when I was alone, undistracted by Edward's perfect face.

As Edward was talking, I noticed everything around us began to lighten as the clouds moved away from the sun.

My first instinct was to shield him- I didn't want him to be hurt by it. However, I remained in my place when he didn't seem phased. As the sun made itself known, my mouth fell open when the beams touched Edward's face.

His face glimmered so magnificently, I thought I was dreaming. Tiny rainbows danced off his skin. It looked like million of microscopic diamonds were settled in his pale face. It wasn't just his face though- his arms and neck glistened just as beautifully.

I leaned closer to him, outstretching my hand to touch his face. His expression was undetermined for me. I wanted him to smile like he usually did.

I touched his face, trying to feel and understand why his skin glowed. He sighed as my fingers trailed all over his body. All the things I thought about vampires were wrong. It actually seemed cool to be one.

"As if you weren't perfect enough, you just had to sparkle in the sunlight too." I pouted, crossing my arms. Edward laughed, rolling his eyes.

"I wouldn't say this makes me _perfect._ I hate this about being a vampire." He confessed. Of course he hated it. He was always a pessimist.

It felt weird hearing him say the word "vampire". It made it more real.

"What do you hate the most?" I asked, since he seemed to like talking about the negatives instead of the positives.

I watched him form words when he all of a sudden was leaning over me. My head was now pressed to he ground, buried in wild flowers. I wanted to kiss his lips as they parted gently.

"I hate that I can't touch you without worrying about hurting you, I hate that I'm always dangerous for you to be around, and I hate that I can't ever fully silence the monster in my head." He breathed. I stared at his sparkling face as if I would never see it again. I wish I had a camera to capture the moment.

"Just how strong are you?" I questioned analyzing the possibilities. He had thrown Bryce and a mountain lion off of me pretty easy. I wondered what else he could do.

He was away from me in seconds. I looked around the meadow and towards the river when I couldn't find him. My heart raced, worried.

"Edward?" I called out, wondering where he went.

Edward wasn't alone when he returned. He balanced a large boulder in one hand that would have crushed an average person. I wasn't sure where he found it, but he lifted it over his head trying to show off.

He then placed it down by the riverside and I got up to get a closer look.

I watched him dig his fingers in the rock like it was play-dough. He crushed a lot of it to pieces and kicked into it, sending debris everywhere.

He picked it back up again and hurled it into the trees, creating a large booming noise. Birds squawked and scattered the trees around it.

Edward had a big smile on his face when he saw my shocked expression.

"Ok, we get it! You literally can do anything!" I yelled to him, throwing my arms in the air. "God, I feel so insignificant in this world now." I prattled, annoyed.

Edward wasn't having it. I watched him coil back, as if he was going to attack me.

"Don't you dare." I said, seeing him smile cunningly.

Suddenly I was in the air, entangled with him. It confused me when we landed on the ground gracefully. I thought I would have been more injured than before. His arms cradled me delicately, making sure he never put pressure on my injuries. I felt so empowered when he moved with me. I wished I could be like him.

We were lying in the meadow again, and I was tempted to give myself to him right there. He was leaning over me, inches from my face. I was turned on by his fluid movements to be quite honest.

"Don't you ever use yourself and the word "insignificant" in the same sentence ever again." He demanded, hypnotizing me with his golden eyes. His smell was making me ever more tuned on.

Dear lord, I would do anything he said when he looked at me like that.

"Whatever you say." I breathed back, trying to concentrate. I completely forget I was in his pajamas, but it became obvious when his body rubbed against the silk. I wanted to moan.

Lust was vibrating between us, and I didn't know if I could take it any longer. He leaned down and kissed the side of my cheek, and then he went down my neck. My skin was on fire, and I couldn't control my breathing. Everything he did was done cautiously. I considered now how hard it must be for him to be near me, so I didn't move.

"Is…being this close to me…difficult for you?" I asked, words stammering. He made it hard for me think straight.

"Mmmm, yes. You smell heavenly, and your heart is going into overdrive." He whispered against my skin as he kissed me more. I blushed at that new information.

He could hear my heart this entire time? That is so embarrassing!

"Calm down. You might have a heart attack." He responded to my heart racing even more.

When his lips finally met mine, I practically attacked him. I couldn't control myself any longer. I felt him press himself against me, which only made me more wild. I roamed my hands under his t-shirt and tried lifting it over his head so I could run my hands over his body easier. He did so, and I gasped when his entire chest glistened in the sunlight too. It was the first time I actually saw his chest. His body was carved out perfectly, making me feel worse about myself. How did I end up with someone so god-like?

He growled whenever my hands would inch lower to what I desired most. I was too afraid he would stop kissing me though if I did so. I could tell he wanted it, but I wondered if he would be able to be close to me that way.

When his lips left mine so I could breath, Edward's hand roamed up my legs, and he took in a deep breath. The lust in his eyes was brought on more as he did this. I hoped to god he couldn't smell how wet I was.

He moved down my body, gently lifting my shirt so he could kiss my exposed stomach. I almost died when his tongue pressed against my skin, right on my hip.

 _Hold on tight, Bella! We're almost here!_ I told myself, ready.

"Oh god, Bella. You smell _extremely_ good right now." He whispered, dragging his nose down my thigh.

I should have felt embarrassed by this, but my thoughts weren't exactly coherent when Edward Cullen's mouth was inches away from my heated core.

 _Yes yes yes_! I chanted in my head.

Suddenly Edward froze, moving away from me.

 _No no no!_

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned that he was losing control, perhaps. I was so close!

He wasn't breathing anymore.

"Fuck, Bella. Your cut above your breast is bleeding through the bandages. I have to replace them." It was strange hearing him cuss.

 _Damnit!_

"Of course that happens right now." I groaned, unsatisfied.

"Tell me about it." He replied as we both felt sexually frustrated.

He gently scooped me up in his arms and I protested. "It had to be difficult for you right now. I can walk." I said, trying to not get excited again as his hands tightened on the outside of my thigh.

"It's too far to walk. I'm in control." He said.

"I'm not." I told him, running my hand down his neck. I felt a rumble in his chest.

"Don't test me right now." He responded, still just as turned on as I was.

* * *

Sorry I had to cut you off right there! I need to sleep. It's currently 2:42 a.m. where I'm at and I have to wake up at 7 am for classes. I feel a lot better now by the way. I changed Edward's date of birth and age because I think this age fits the story better. 17 seems too young for me. Please review and remember to be nice! I'm sensitive! Haha!


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